Broken Wings
by shinobi201
Summary: Starts the third year, picking up the pieces from how I have RWBY-Canon so far will end. Will be quite AU. Cinder's plans were just the beginning, and with a young man called the Prince of Darkness, the group enters the fray again. WeissXOC eventually (I'm so sorry, White Rose) with others mentioned. Things may get dark, so M for adult references and violence.
1. Prologue: A Player Apiece

**Well, I'll be honest, this is my first attempt at a fan-fiction, and it may be a bit too ambitious. I've tried writing before (with original works) but I've never finished one before. I plan to change that with this story, and I'd like to have any feedback you have. This is just a quick prologue to start things while I procrastinate studying and projects for finals. It's a long ride, and I don't think I'll finish here (there's a time-skip in the plans and I'm thinking I'll make afterward a sequel) so sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.**

**My (currently only) other work, A Legend Scattered, takes place in this continuity. /s/9912714/1/A-Legend-Scattered**

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_Three years ago, shortly before a new year begins at Beacon Academy_

A gray haired man prepares to pack it in after another long night. It was always like this before a new year, a few late nights to make sure everything all worked out. A procedure of checking, double checking, and triple checking to ensure the best possible outcome. Years of using the same process would lead most to give up on being so thoroughly prepared. After all, if it worked last year, and the year before that, and decades before that, why wouldn't it work now? But that was not in his nature. He trusted his instincts, but he'd made enough mistakes to know the worth of the old adage "better safe than sorry," if only to let him sleep better at night when things didn't work out anyway. He was looking forward to a rest but something stopped him. Something was coming, something he hadn't felt in a long time.

"So it's time…" he sighed, worries of his work being replaced by a cynical acceptance of the times ahead. He stopped short of the door leaving his office, turning instead to a large display on the wall opposite. With an aura enhanced tap from his cane, the massive piece of furniture slid aside to reveal a staircase leading down along the wall. His mind wandered to times past, the words spoken at these encounters. Though each time was treated as a possible end to the games, both players knew this was not true. His opponent had warned him when the end game would come with cryptic words over the years. The first game, so long ago now, had given him the first warning.

When you see eyes of silver

And a white princess

When you see a heart of gold

With a child I'll bless

The next had been sometime later during their last time together, having previously given no response at all. It was equally vague.

When a white knight

Meets one with hair red as flame

When a lotus

Has one whose life is a game

As he considered these words his mind took him to what he had been working on just moments before.

_"Ruby Rose. You… have silver eyes."_

He began to worry that this would finally be the end as he reached the room at the end of the staircase. It was a barren room, lit with a few burn dust crystal glowing softly on a candelabrum hanging from the far wall. In the middle lied a simple wooden table with armless wooden chairs sitting across from each other. A small hourglass over looked a forgotten game of chess, pieces still in play with a few sitting to the sides. It was an old set, carved from Grimm plating and volcanic glass, a thick layer of dust on each piece. The hexagonal board, bearing three tones of wood, was equally dusty. Spinning around to set aside his mug and cane, Ozpin noted the cobwebs and dust bunnies that had invaded the room in their absence. This had been the longest gap in their games as of yet.

A chill ran down his spine as the light flickered. His partner was here, but something felt… off. Turning to face them, two brown eyes met a set of six. They burned with a soft red glow, not unlike embers in a dying fire, set in a symmetrical pattern. The large central eyes had two smaller eyes off towards the forehead and cheekbones. This was different from the linear pattern of six eyes he was used to, as the two smaller eyes had not been the same size or laterally symmetrical. The smallest eyes had been set outside the large primaries, lying in line with them. However, the medium eyes had been perpendicular to this arrangement with one directly below the right eye and the other directly above the left eye, creating radial symmetry. In a similar change, the red pattern on the mask was different. It now bore a marking with radial symmetry in the shape of a sun around the eyes. Previously, it had been a vertically mirrored set of arrows pointing to each other between the eyes. Letting his gaze drift downward, the body seemed more masculine, possessing a broad and black shrouded form as opposed to the tightly black wreathed female form he knew. He understood then.

"Were you alone?" he asked. He felt a pang of guilt, as he had promised to be there for her if she ever needed it, but he couldn't even recall when it may have happened.

"I died with family. You needn't concern yourself," she responded. The voice remained unchanged, despite the different form before him. "My I suggest we start anew?" she continued, motioning toward the set.

"Of course," Ozpin said with a bit of amusement. How like her to speak of her death so nonchalantly. "Allow me to reset the board." He quickly began resetting the pieces as she took her seat. "So how much longer will this go on?" he asked, hoping for a response.

The face looked up from the board, silently assessing him. She spoke more cryptic words to him, "The sun has a tail; a false child appears; a bull's mask will fail; a prince brings forth tears. The game among players is old, but the pieces have been set anew. Have all the signs been told…? If only you knew."

"Hmm," Ozpin hummed as he contemplated her message. He wasn't speaking with her anymore, not when she spoke like this. This was… something else, something more threatening, more menacing. It made it more difficult to be certain, but he couldn't shake his concerns. _You… have silver eyes._ He feared for the girl's future, as the timing of this meeting was too perfect. As he finished setting up, he spoke again. "So, the legendary warrior has passed on. A story too old for most to know, a legend lost to the ages. Let us forgotten tales pick up this old game again, and forget the world in turn. Will we end this game writing one last story for the people to remember?"

She laughed, a sound he found terrifying and exhilarating. He chose his pieces, his eyes reaching across the board. A force of light faced against a force of darkness across a world in shades of grey. He could feel it – this was the beginning of the end.

"Do you find humor in the idea of legends? Surely you must have a legend you find yourself thinking about," he said, his pieces chosen. The hourglass flipped, and he took the first step, putting his first pawn into place. The hourglass inverted again, the dust instantly flowing into the top.

"Legends. Stories scattered through time. Mankind has grown quite fond of recounting the exploits of heroes and villains, forgetting so easily that we are remnants, byproducts, of a forgotten past." She moved her first pawn. The hourglass took another twirl.

"Man, born from dust, was strong, wise, and resourceful, but he was born into an unforgiving world. An inevitable darkness - creatures of destruction; the creatures of Grimm - set their sights on man and all of his creations. These forces clashed, and it seemed the darkness was intent on returning man's brief existence to the void." He moved in turn, a plan beginning to form. The hourglass continued its motion.

"However, even the smallest spark of hope is enough to ignite change, and in time, man's passion, resourcefulness, and ingenuity led them to the tools that would help even the odds. This power was appropriately named Dust." Two more moves had taken place; the dust enhanced hourglass began to fail.

"But even the most brilliant lights eventually flicker and die, and when they are gone... darkness will return." The game slowed for a moment, as he saw her set her plan. Masterful as always, but he had always managed to counter her. She was quick to establish a strategy, but wasn't good at reacting. He put his plan in motion.

"Nature's wrath in hand, man lit their way through the darkness, and in the shadow's absence came strength, civilization, and most importantly, life." She quickly saw through his plans, but as he'd predicted, was unsure how to respond. The hourglass lay forgotten in a flurry of moves.

"So you may prepare your guardians, build your monuments to a so-called 'free world', but take heed... there will be no victory in strength." Ah, she'd actually come up with a reasonable response. This would end closer than he'd have liked, but these last few turns would end in his favor. Or so he hoped.

"But perhaps victory is in the simpler things that you've long forgotten. Things that require a smaller, more honest soul," he countered. Indeed, it had not quite been strength that finished her. A simple pawn earning a promotion had been her end. Though she'd successfully killed his queen and other pieces, the newfound queen forced her into a checkmate. She'd always been bad about going straight for the biggest threat.

"So it would seem you won this game," she said, rising to leave.

"It was a pleasure," he responded, feeling somewhat relieved at his victory. It had been close, but he won in the end.

"Indeed. It was an excellent strategy, if not sacrificial. To be expected of you though, you were always bad about looking beyond the end of the game," she ended menacingly, darkness growing from the cloak to swallow the room. Her gaze was set on the board. Ozpin turned toward the board, where he could just make out the set up in the dark. He had achieved checkmate by moving his king, but now that he looked again, no matter how her king died, his king would end up dead as well. Turning to her in a panic, he found himself alone.

"What have I done?" he whispered, looking toward the board again. He slowly backed toward the stairwell, turning to retrieve his mug and cane. Giving one last glance to the board, the old burn crystal that had lit this room throughout all their games finally died, leaving a shadowy figure alone in the darkness.

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**The episode one speech is pulled from the Wiki's transcription of Ruby Rose. I'll get back to this once I finish these projects and finals. The first real chapter should be up next week if all goes according to plan.**


	2. Chapter 1: Sunlight

**Okay, so I finally got this done. Don't procrastinate at finals kids, it gets bad. You've waited long enough, have at it.**

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Vili soared the through the air, the wind whipping past his face and fluttering his hair. This was something he always loved the thought of, ever since he'd seen Yasha take flight as a child. Down in Asylum, the sky was perpetually dark with thick storm clouds and the air choked with smog. But Yasha had gone beyond that, straight through to the heavens. As a child, before he'd been given Alas De'Luz, he'd often wondered what it was like to see a blue sky like those described in his books. The few books with pictures, the older fairy tales with their title artwork and calligraphy, made it seem like something that couldn't really exist to him.

When Yasha had said he was going to take Vili with him somewhere for the first time, he was excited. Yasha didn't leave Asylum often; something Vili now knew was due to the fact that he wasn't officially welcome within the four kingdoms of man or even Menagerie. When he left, it was either upon request of one of the grand councils or kings who ruled the kingdoms or on business related to his experiments. This time had been a business deal, but it had allowed Vili to fly in Yasha's arms. At first, it was not that great, the smog and speed of the air choking his lungs and making his eyes water. Then there had been the clouds, cold and wet from the southern storms. Then, suddenly, they were above the clouds. Vili, eight years old, saw the sky for the first time – and it was more beautiful than he had ever imagined. But even greater than that was something he'd never thought as beautiful before. Vili knew about the sun, Yasha's symbol was the sun after all. But Yasha's symbol was an eclipse – a black sun with brown flames. The sun, a bright ball of light, was something beyond his imagination. The sun was this great light that lit up the world – an astounding thought for a young Vili who'd only seen the poorly lit city of Asylum. Since that day, Vili was determined to take to the skies as much as he could. It was only reinforced when they came home at night and he witnessed the moon and the stars. Oh, the stars were a sight to behold – a million lights distances so far away he could never wrap his head around it, reaching out to him with their cool and gentle touch. He'd fallen asleep on the way back, his head full of the sights of that day – the sky, the forests, and the stars. Flying now with Alas De'Luz, he laughed at the memory of imagining the sky. His aura fueled the silver gauntlets and boots as fire poured from his soles and palms, propelling him through the air. That first journey into the world would change his life. The world outside of Asylum had planted the seed of wonder within him, a welcome feeling after the cruel and dark world of Yasha's tests and experiments.

Vili avoided those aspects of his childhood, thinking of them in a more abstract manner. Yasha's experiments were something that Vili himself had been a product, subject, and part of. It was cruel experiments that had forced Yasha's home of Menagerie to banish him before the age of twenty, a time more than a century ago now. More recently, the four kingdoms banished him for similarly cruel experiments. Finally, just four years ago now, this cruelty had forced Vili to leave Yasha after some dark realizations about his mentor and what he had expected of him. He didn't want to stay a part of Yasha's actions, what he viewed as a downward spiral that would do injustice to the hero he'd once been. However, he couldn't convince the man otherwise, so Vili had set out to atone for his involvement with Yasha's plans.

Vili had seen parts of the world a handful of time prior to this, but Yasha rarely took him on his longer trips from government requests, only the much shorter business trips. Scouring the globe, he had now been to much of Remnant. From Menagerie to the east of Asylum, the eastern kingdom of Rakuen to Menagerie's north, to Atlas on the northernmost continent, and was now leaving Mistral, the kingdom across the sea from Vale, his current destination.

One of the few times Yasha had taken him somewhere for a period of time was to Vale, the world capital. It had been incredible to see the oldest and richest city in Remnant. But as great as it had been, the city was host to something greater – Beacon Academy. Boasting the title of the greatest combat school in the world, with the headmaster Ozpin, Beacon had been something he'd shown interest in since first reading about it in Asylum. Vili had enjoyed that visit, though he did not know why a government trip had led them to visit Beacon. In retrospect, it was likely a cordial visit as Yasha, Ozpin, and Glynda had seemed quite comfortable talking about relatively casual things. When Yasha had left him with a tour by Ozpin and Glynda, he had likely been giving him the slip. Vili smirked. Now that he thought about it that seemed exactly like something he would do. He'd always try to dump him off on someone when they went on business.

Vili had been too enamored with Ozpin and the academy to notice at the time. Not only was the man likeable and mysterious, he proved unreadable. Vili's skill in aura perception made people open books to him, but Ozpin was closed. Even odder, it felt like even if Vili could open Ozpin, he'd find an incomprehensible tongue. He'd shown great interest in what Glynda had been saying as they traveled through the off season school, witnessing its grandeur without the hustle and bustle of student life. However, his real focus had been on reading Ozpin, who he swore was enjoying Vili's frustration at not making any progress. Though Ozpin was a mystery and Glynda a bit of a stickler for rules and procedures, he instantly liked their company and was glad to find that Yasha's trip would leave him at Beacon for day. He'd talked about history and Dust manipulation with Glynda and picked Ozpin apart for news on Yasha's past throughout the day. It had been one of his most favorite days of his life. That had been seven years ago now, before Yasha began to send him on "assignments" – the things which would eventually make Vili realize how far he and Yasha had gone from any sense of ethical boundaries.

Looking ahead across the water, he could see it now. The green lights shone over the city in the evening sun, high up on its ridge. Beacon Academy watched over the grand city of Vale. The light of Signal was coming up closer, sitting on the small island off the coast. Flying past, he eased off his aura to slow for air traffic in the area, noticing the students at Signal. It would be interesting to see students at Beacon, but it would have to wait. The sun was getting low on the horizon, so he set his eyes on the commercial district in the northeast. He should be able to find a hotel there, and then head off to Beacon in the morning. Cutting off his aura from Alas De'Luz, which began to retract into silver bands around his wrists and ankles, Vili activated his semblance. Black feathers fell from him as his body turned to aura, spiraling through the air into an alley.

As his body reformed, he noticed a guy creeping along the wall of a small restaurant, eyeing some fruit through an open back door. His blonde hair was a bit wild, the white shirt hanging open was ratty, and his red bracers were a bit scuffed up. Even so, his body was incredibly well toned, and his aura seemed strong – Vili couldn't imagine that he really needed to steal for food. He began to shadow him as the guy grabbed the fruit and began to hop to the rooftops. His body, still made of feathers while maintaining its form, allowed him to easily follow the yellow tailed faunus as he ascended the building walls. Running along the rooftops, Vili almost lost him because of his quick progression over and through any obstacles, running along walls, jumping some things, and sliding under others. It was quite a sight as Vili utilized his still ultra-light body to mirror his actions in an effort to keep him in sight.

The end of the guy's journey almost gave Vili the slip as he suddenly ducked into an alley way. Vili had gone past it, narrowing his eyes as his ears perked up, swiveling to scan for any sounds. Both ears and eyes swiveled to his right as he picked up a noise. Turning to the right, an alley sat below him. A fire escape ran down the building, a window sitting open two down. Soundlessly making his way to the window, Vili peaked in to find the guy lying out on a couch, one hand holding a bitten banana, the other a scroll, and his tail operating the screen.

"You have an apartment and you stole food?" Vili said as he stepped into the room and his semblance faded out of effect. The blonde, his head toward the window, looked at him by tilting his head backward.

"You are trespassing and you're trying to lecture me?" he responded, his green eyes catching Vili's eyes. Vili smiled and shook his head.

"I suppose that is pretty bad. Not the worst thing I've done though." That last part was quietly muttered. "I'll admit I'm not the most, uh, upstanding of citizens. But really, I meant why are you stealing food when you are obvious well off?"

The monkey faunus sat up, turning to face Vili. "I _could_ have bought food, but why do that when there's free food lying around? Besides, this is a pretty new situation for me, and old habits don't exactly die easy," he said merrily enough. "But really, I meant why are you in my apartment?" he added, mocking Vili's response.

"Good question," Vili said, leaning against the window sill, his head tilting to the side as he seemingly thought about an answer. He hummed in contemplation before responding, "I guess… because you seem like an interesting person. You look and dress like you are from Rakuen, but here you are in Vale. I feel like you have lived an eventful life, even though you seem young."

Sun Wukong considered his words, feeling that much of the same could be said of this strange dark haired man standing in his apartment. Short leaf shaped ears revealed him as a faunus – though what type he didn't know. A vest of black feathers and black pants covered his legs and torso, silver bands hung on his wrists, ankles and neck, and dark piercing eyes hinted at a level of knowledge beyond his years while still holding a glimmer of sincere childlike curiosity. Making up his mind, Sun responded, "So, you want to know more about me?" A smile and a nod were his only response. Sun sighed, "It's a long story, might as well get comfortable. It all began when I first came to Vale two years ago and ran into this cute cat faunus…"

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**Well, this was the first official chapter of Broken Wings, and boy, what have I gotten myself into. Sun doesn't know the half of it (literally). Vili and Yasha both have posts on r/RWBYOC. Vili here r/RWBYOC/comments/1sseb0/vili_schwarze_prince_of_darkness/ and Yasha here /comments/1szpih/yasha_mentor_of_vili_schwarze/ Check those out if you want to know a bit about them and my version of the RWBYverse before hand. I may post other content their in the future, but for now I think a lot of it might have too much spoiler content, I'd have to work around that. Please review. On another note, feel free to speculate, I like hints, references, and symbolism so there could be meaning anywhere. Or maybe not, sometimes (or most of the time) it's random. **


	3. Chapter 2: Confusion

**Well, this took awhile. Yet, it seems ready, so I'm putting it out here for you. Don't think I can give much of a guarantee on consistent length or schedule beyond that I'll do my best to get one chapter for every week. That said, this is the second chapter for this week and I still intend to release for next week so... Yay? Anyway, enough about boring stuff, back to the story. **

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Vili sat cross-legged on the floor before the couch, enraptured by Sun's story. The sun had been setting when he'd followed the young man home, and now stars lit up the sky. An end table held a lamp that cast out the gloom in the open apartment. It was a simple place, holding just an open area with a small kitchen in the corner, a counter separating it from the rest of the room, and two doors against the wall behind Sun, presumably a bedroom and a bathroom. A small closet sat behind Vili, with the entrance to his right, across from the window he'd entered through. Two small end tables sat next to the couch, with a small dining table back by the kitchen. As Sun brought his tale to a close, the sounds of the wind flowing through the buildings, cars traveling in the distance, and trains riding the tracks came through window.

"So, afterward, Penny ended up in Vale and I somehow ended up keeping her company while the girls were at Beacon. Eventually, the Sostituire Corporation hired me to keep an eye on her while she was here, and gave me this apartment. Then, to top it all off, some creepy dude with black hair followed me home and I spent the evening talking to him. That's the crazy part, by the way," Sun finished with a look.

Vili smirked - partly out of amusement, but also because this was certainly not the craziest part of the tale he'd just heard. Sun Wukong, whose name Vili had only gotten once he began his tale, had indeed had an eventful life. He'd met a group of girls from Beacon Academy that had eventually led to his involvement in ending an act of terrorism on an international scale.

Vili had learned about Cinder Fall's actions during his travels, but the details had been impossible to find. While it was known she'd tried to organize an attack on Vale – and that she hadn't planned on stopping there – little was known about how she had intended to do it, how close she got to doing it, or how she was stopped. It wasn't even known whether she was still alive. Rumors ranged from hilarious to horrifying. I recurring one was concerning the involvement of one Roman Torchwick, the "big little man of Vale" as he was known on Asylum. That made sense since, despite never showing any ambition to be the biggest criminal in Vale, he was only beaten by those who acted on an international level. Those in Asylum referred to Vale as his territory, even if not in the way they would for most criminals. Having him as an in would have allowed Cinder to use his influence and knowledge, and Sun had mentioned fighting him directly. However, Torchwick was reportedly taken in for an unrelated crime, and the VNN reported he was not involved. Another rumor Sun verified was their collaboration with the White Fang, something some official reports suggested, but otherwise didn't make sense. Vili had worked with the White Fang before with Yasha, something neither had liked because of their extreme views regarding humans. The idea of them working together, especially since Torchwick was known to be prejudiced, was absurd. However, it anyone could get them to do it, it had to be Cinder Fall. He'd met the women in Asylum when she was banished and she was not to be trifled with. A powerful, ambitious, and intimidating rogue huntress, she'd been second only to Yasha among the influential denizens of Asylum. When her small empire fell apart with her disappearance two years ago, it had caused quite a stir. To take her down would have required incredible skill or luck. Even though Sun mentioned going against Torchwick, as well as having an ally in the mysterious girl Penny – which was another thing to think about altogether – Vili wanted to chalk it up to luck. Cinder's associates, codenamed Mark and Cleo by the government until their identities could be confirmed, had also proven to be powerful people, and were likely rogues themselves. He couldn't imagine a group of teenagers coming out on top through skill alone – it was preposterous!

"Your entire story is insane," Vili mused aloud, not exactly paying attention to Sun.

"Ah, yea, well, I guess. At the time, I was just sort of in the moment, you know?" he said as he rose to his feet. "Looking back on it though, I'm really happy we all made it out alive, though Ruby gave us quite a scare," he continued as he made his way over toward the kitchen. "That girl is absolutely crazy, I don't know what she was thinking taking that woman on alone. Want some?" he ended, proffering a jug of juice from the fridge.

Vili got up to follow, catching on to his statements. "Uh, yea, sure. Thanks," he said, going to sit on a stool sitting on the outer part of the counter. "Hey, what was that about that Ruby girl? She's the one who leads the team, right?"

"Oh, yeah. Well, I wasn't there for everything. Honestly, I only helped a little, but apparently when we brought Torchwick in, he gave Ruby a note as they dragged him off to the cruiser. The other girls didn't know about it, and she ran off to follow up in the night," Sun explained. He sat two full glasses on the counter before jumping over to take another stool. He continued, "They woke up in their room at Beacon with Ruby's bed looking like she hadn't slept at all. They searched around and found the note with an address. When they got there, they told me they found the place abandoned with Ruby injured inside – we're talking some horrible burns. She still has the scars, and apparently some internal organ damage. She definitely doesn't eat like she used to, I can tell you that much. Her stomach was almost bottomless, but now she barely touches her food. Anyway, she must not have gone down easy because the place, some old factory out on the southwest edge of the agricultural district, had scorch marks, gashes, and bullet holes all over the place – and don't get me started on the blood. They had left recently, so the huntsman and huntresses that followed them out managed to track Cinder and her goons. They caught up with Cinder, but I don't know if they brought her in or not, something about classified information. I suppose it doesn't matter if it means she's taken care of and won't be messing with us any time soon. That's all I know, since the girls don't like to talk about it."

Vili considered this new information. He couldn't comment on whether they had spared Cinder or not since he didn't know the procedures for rogue huntsman and huntresses, a side effect of them being blacked out. Officially, rogue huntsman and huntresses weren't a thing, and Cinder's name wasn't even publicized. Vili only knew because she started everything on Asylum while he had still been apprenticed under Yasha.

The other parts of the news seemed strange. How could it have been that Cinder allowed herself to be tracked? Surely they must have tried that before and it obviously hadn't worked – why would it work after they left Ruby behind? And for that matter, why would they leave her behind? Cinder wasn't one to take chances – she wouldn't have left a potential witness for dead. Similarly, he doubted they'd mistaken her for dead, though as unlikely as it was he supposed it was possible. If they _had_ known she was alive, why would they leave a witness? Had she been meant to serve as a message? No, Vili knew how Cinder operated from her rise to power in Asylum. If someone were to serve as a message, they could better serve the purpose as a barely recognizable pile of burnt flesh – that was Cinder's way.

Looking further, the timescale didn't seem too reasonable either. It would have to be that Ruby's injuries were not as bad as they sounded or she had left not too long before her teammates woke up and began searching for her. Otherwise, her survival would have been nothing short of a miracle. And then there was how Ruby found the place to begin with. It seemed like it may have been a trap, but why would they risk discovery if Cinder was actually waiting there? Were they that confident in the foolishness of the girl to come alone – something that counteracted the thought that she was a threat that needed eliminating – or had Torchwick decided to betray Cinder when he was caught? That would explain why they denied his association with her – it could be considered an odd form of a plea bargain. But the fact that it was given to Ruby instead of the authorities suggests it was a trap over a betrayal – or maybe both? Eliminate the girl who took him in, take out the women who might infringe on his territory, and work on escaping once he nailed prison time over banishment. That certainly seemed plausible, but it didn't sit well with Vili.

Then there was the state of the abandoned factory. Sun said it showed signs of an intense battle, presumably with a lot of blood loss. That didn't seem to make sense – if she had been fighting Cinder, there wouldn't be blood loss. Well, not unless Ruby had been blown apart, which her survival and given injuries of "bad burns" and "some internal organ damage" said wasn't likely. Cinder's burns didn't bleed, so that would have to mean it was Cinder's blood, but that too didn't make sense. If she were in trouble, she wasn't above using her goons as shields – she'd done it enough in Asylum to prove it. _That_ would explain the blood, but it would make the girl a little mass murderer. She wouldn't have been allowed to go after that, and honestly he couldn't imagine a teenage girl as Sun had described Ruby being so psychopathic.

"Hello? You okay there?"

Vili was snapped out of his thoughts by Sun's words. Some time had passed, and Sun seemed finished with his drink where as Vili had been staring into his without taking a sip. He laughed nervously as he blushed a little with embarrassment. He turned to Sun with an apology, "Sorry about that. I was lost in thought." He drank a mouthful as Sun responded.

"No problem. I guess it is a lot to take in. It's just that you looked like that drink was the most interesting thing in the world to you."

"Heh, no, not so much the drink – not that it's bad, or anything, it's pretty good," he added quickly. It wasn't a lie; he did find it quite good. Even if it was fruit juice and he didn't particular like fruit. "I was just thinking about the whole thing with Ruby. I mean, what exactly was at the factory? What happened there?"

"I only know from some pictures for the investigation and what I could get out of the girls. There were goons unconscious throughout the place-" that took care of her being a psychopath "-as well as bullet holes and gashes. The outside took a big hit with scorch marks, ice crystals, ton of shifted dirt, and blood everywhere out front, which was supposedly from those other guys they caught with Cinder – what is they call them, Mark and Cleo?"

Mark and Cleo? There's no way in hell a little girl beat those two and lived to tell the tale. They were more ruthless than Cinder – she'd have come out with way more than some burns and internal organ damage. It would explain the blood, however. Besides, unless Ruby used fire (and Vili had to admit he did not know if she did), she would have to have fought them and Cinder outside. Vili quickly turned his attention back to Sun as he continued.

"Anyway, the worst of it was the big central manufactory where all the equipment used to be. It was mostly empty, but this was where the worst of the fighting seemed to have happened. It was also where they found Ruby, with explosive damage all over the place and a lot of blood. That's about all I know, I haven't managed to get anything else out of the girls or the people who did the investigation."

"That doesn't make any sense," Vili accidently thought aloud. At Sun's confused look, he realized his mistake. He explained, "If Ruby was found deep inside, why were Mark and Cleo with Cinder after she left?"

Sun's perplexity was evident on his face. "I'm not following," he said hesitantly.

"Well, first, does Ruby use fire?" A shaken head was received. "Well, if the fight with Mark and Cleo happened outside, like the investigators said, then Cinder must have been out there too. After all, where else could the burn marks have come from?" A look crossed Sun's face that suggested he agreed. "Now, I can see why Ruby may have ended up finishing the fight with Cinder inside. If Ruby was really good enough to take the three of them on, Cinder likely left them to deal with her while she attempted to make an escape or an ambush. It follows that Ruby, supposedly doing well enough to hold her own against the three of them, may have been able to overpower Mark and Cleo – though I find that highly unlikely. But – well, honestly I don't have the best background myself. I've met Cinder Fall – I was born and raised in the city of criminals, Asylum. Asylum is where she began pulling everything together, and I know she didn't care for anyone underneath her. If it was a matter of value, Torchwick ranked higher than Mark and Cleo by that point – she only needed them to get a hold of her empire, she's outright told them that before. She wouldn't have gone back for them if they were beaten, and likely would have killed them herself because they were now liabilities. I can't think of a scenario where they would be with her when she was caught – and that doesn't make any sense either."

"What, her being caught? Why not? The military had huntsmen and huntresses sent after her – I mean, Glynda Goodwitch herself went with the girls." She did huh? He could test that – Ozpin may be a mystery, but Glynda may as well have her nose grow if she lied to Vili. She may put up more of a fight than your average person, but only Yasha and Ozpin so far had successfully managed to hide things from his aura perception.

"I suppose that may be true. But, you told me you had a couple direct encounters where full-fledged or former huntsmen or huntresses were on the scene. If they could track her down, why didn't they do it then?"

Sun had that look of agreement again, though it was hesitant. "I don't know. You might be right, it's not like the girls and investigators haven't already shown they're willing to hold back information. They could be taking it a step further and lying." He glanced toward the clock, noting the late time – around 2 AM. He sighed in exasperation. "I suppose I should get some rest, Penny should be back from the Sostituire HQ in Mistral tomorrow. I have to pick her up."

Vili got the hint. Though the mention of Penny made another bundle of questions come to mind, he realized he'd have to try speaking with Sun another time. He rose with a stretch. "I'll see myself out," he said, walking toward the window. "Should I leave it open?" he asked.

"Uh, yea, no problem. I guess I'll be seeing you – uh, wait, what is your name?"

"Oh, my bad – Vili Schwarze. I'm a traveling huntsman, of sorts."

"Okay, Vili. Got it. Well, you know where I live, though I'll admit I'm not home too often. We should talk again sometime, or I could introduce you to the girls. Maybe you can tell me about yourself next time, I feel like you've had an interesting life as well."

Vili suppressed an onset of dark memories. "Yea, maybe," he said nervously. He stepped outside, pulling the window shut as his semblance became active. "See you later, Sun." And then he was gone, quickly climbing the fire escape in a torrent of feathers.

Sun stared with his mouth agape at what had just happened, from the breaking and entering to the flood of feathers that just flew from his windows. "What is it with me and attracting all these weirdoes? Ruby, Penny, Nora, this Vili guy…" Sun said, sighing. He hit the lights and headed into his bedroom, looking back at the half filled glass on the counter. He began to wonder what exactly the implications of Vili's words could be. What had really happened that day, around two years ago now? Would the girls really hide something from him? And if so, what would make them do it? He shook the thoughts out of his head, thinking he'd ask Penny what she thought about this newfound possibility. He shut the door and prepared to sleep – Penny would likely want to be in his company tomorrow, and he wanted to be awake for his friend.

* * *

Outside on the roof, Vili contemplated his newfound friend and his tale. So many things went through his mind, so many questions he still wanted to ask. He looked toward the commercial district, considering going to buy a room as he set his questions aside for another time. His chase had led him to the residential district, across the river. In the end, he decided he didn't feel like going through the hassle. He curled up against the fire escape, head lying back on his folded arms. He'd slept in worse places in Asylum – not to mention when he couldn't make it to one of the kingdoms before nightfall. Besides, Vale had a relatively moderate temperature here by sea-level, and he could fall asleep staring at the stars.

* * *

**So, now you know a little more about my RWBYverse. Next, we meet Penny (I'll admit, I'm not looking forward to trying to capture her somewhat odd mannerisms - wish me luck) and I'll start exploring other POVs. Vili will be the main one for the most part, but probably in the sense of plurality, not majority. As always, please review.**


	4. Chapter 3: Meeting Old Friends

Sun opened his eyes, the bedroom dimly lit since the window was facing an adjacent building. The early morning sun had yet to shine into the alley below, leaving the window in shadow, but the ambient light was enough for him to see by – especially as a faunus. He sleepily patted the bed and nightstand in search of his scroll. His tail found it in its compact state, and he pulled it up to his face, where his hands stretched out the device to its full size. Gazing at the corner, he noticed the time.

"9:40, huh? That's not too…" he began groggily before remember the date. "9:40?! Penny is supposed to be here at ten," he exclaimed, hopping out of bed and beginning to throw clothes off. He swung into the main room and quickly swung into neighboring bathroom, heading for a quick shower. Running back into the room a little under five minutes later with a towel haphazardly hanging on his body and a toothbrush in his mouth, he made his way to his dresser. Tossing the towel aside, he began dressing, still a bit damp. Setting the toothbrush down to grab a squirt bottle, he blasted some water in his mouth to gargle as he put shoes on. Running out of the room again, he spit into the kitchen sink and rushed toward the window, scroll in hand. Ten minutes left, he rushed onto the fire escape and made his way onto the roof. His speed led him over a sleeping Vili, but Sun barely had time to register the man's presence as he threw back an apology and jumped to the next building. He briefly wondered about why he'd been sleeping on the roof, but threw the thought aside as he began to focus on finding the fastest possible route between his apartment and the air yard. Her handlers didn't like it when he kept Penny waiting.

* * *

Vili awoke suddenly as Sun flew over top of him, his body launched over the railing of the fire escape. Vili groggily watched him as heard a hurried apology. He considered trying to follow him, but as the man made remarkable progress across the rooftops he rejected the idea. He'd had enough trouble keeping up with the faunus yesterday, and while he considered flying to keep up, he decided he had more important things to do than follow Sun around. Instead, he cast his gaze toward the towering hill to the east.

He looked at the green gems shining within the highest tower, considering his options. Beacon would have security, of that he was sure. Would it be a problem if he was caught? Probably not, but that wasn't really the concern. Getting past the security would be an interesting challenge – and he couldn't resist the idea of meeting Glynda after sneaking onto the campus. The woman would likely be very annoyed that he'd broken the rules, especially with students on campus, but he did want to talk to her. With the knowledge of his conversation last night, he actually wanted to talk to her more than Ozpin now. Unfortunately, he wasn't sure where to begin looking for her once he got up there. He had never been to her office, and he also knew she taught some of the classes there, so the possibility of her being elsewhere in the school seemed high. Finding her would likely prove the real challenge, especially without getting caught.

Admittedly, Ozpin likely knew just as much about the events concerning "Team RWBY" and Cinder Fall as Glynda, and probably then some. Ozpin had said though it was not uncommon for him to walk the grounds, he spent much of his time within his office. Vili did know where that was, and staying there until he returned would likely take less time than with Glynda, who kept herself particularly busy throughout the school even during the breaks. Even if he didn't know anything, he'd likely be able to point him in the right direction for Glynda.

His mind made up, Vili's semblance activated. His body disappeared as a mass of feathers flew near the speed of light toward Beacon Academy. This was what made many in Asylum think he could travel instantaneously like Yasha. In fact it was simply that since he knew where to go, he could fling his aura toward the destination. This way, running into any security would be moot. In the form of aura, his body was not hampered much by matter, and to the contrary, the Academy and to a lesser extent Asylum both seemed to invigorate his aura, allowing him to travel easier. Over longer distances, the technique was faster than any other form of transportation he had, even Alas De'Luz. However, it was one of his more demanding techniques, so he used it rarely – despite its great capabilities.

The first feather soundlessly formed outside the window of Ozpin's office, a black eye staring in. Ozpin sat inside at his desk, looking between his scroll and several piles of paper before him. His gaze quickly traveled from one to the next, moving some papers or swiping to a new page on his scroll, occasionally writing or typing something on a sheet or a page. He continued to work, unable to see the window as it was behind him on the wall to his left.

Vili continued to manifest, sitting silently on the lip of the closed window. Staring at the papers, he struggled to read them at the odd angle he was at. Something about appropriations for the school, but he wasn't sure on the details as Ozpin didn't hold anything up long enough for Vili to read it. Disregarding the papers, he began to consider options for announcing his presence when Ozpin spoke.

"You can take a seat here inside. I can't imagine sitting on the window sill is comfortable," he said without as so much as a glance to his left.

Vili eyes narrowed in suspicion just as his jaw dropped in shock. How? He'd been silent and out of sight. The most paranoid criminals of Asylum didn't notice when he showed up near them. How was it then that this old man found him out like it was nothing? He was both annoyed and overjoyed. This was what he liked about the bespectacled man. He was so mysterious – an alien concept to Vili, who could so easily look into the souls of those around him. Yasha and Ozpin alike were among the few capable of so easily humbling the gifted child. He would spend much of his time in their company analyzing every little thing they did for clues into how they worked, what they were thinking. Phasing through the window and hopping into a chair opposite Ozpin, he gazed into the man's eyes.

Ozpin paid him no mind, continuing his work. They sat like that for some time, Vili trying in vain to get something from his soul and Ozpin quietly working, occasionally drinking from the coffee mug that sat on his desk. Eventually Vili surrendered, slumping with a moan.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Well, that's not exactly true. There's _something_, but it's not your aura. Semblance, I'm guessing, whatever yours is. But not a single bit of aura. I get less from you than people with locked auras. What is it you are doing? Do you even have a soul? You have to tell me," Vili suddenly said, his words becoming more desperate as he continued. In fact, by the end, he was leaning across the desk and clutching at Ozpin's scarf.

Ozpin calmly set the scroll aside, grasping the coffee mug to take a drink. It was only as he set the mug down and steepled his hands that he looked at Vili. If anyone were to have walked in, it would seem an interesting sight. Vili, leaning across the desk with his hands on Ozpin's scarf, Ozpin himself with his hands in a steeple over Vili's, each staring into the others eyes. And then Ozpin started talking.

"Unfortunately, Vili, I must admit I have no interest in pursuing a relationship at this time – as handsome a young man as you may be. Now, assuming you came here for other reasons than to stare at me with barely contained desire, I suggest you get to it – I am quite busy, having a school to run and all," he said it with a straight face, but a glimmer of humor lay in his voice.

Vili frowned in response, leaning back into his seat and crossing his arms. He'd let the humor slide; he _had_ been staring at him like a teenage girl who's just seen one of the Achieve Men. Ozpin was also correct in assuming he'd visited the man for other reasons than staring at him, though only if Vili admitted that that staring at him was one of his reasons for visiting. This, Vili would vehemently declare, was certainly not the case.

"Actually, I'm here to talk about a couple of things. Originally I was just going to drop in to say hello, since I will be in Vale for awhile. However, I've learned about something interesting that happened here around a couple years ago." No response. "Would the name Cinder Fall ring any bells?" The briefest of eye movements occurred behind those tinted lenses. "What about Ruby?" That did it, the eyes narrowed to slits, showing… anger? But it was gone in an instant, and Vili did not get the response he wanted.

"I am not exactly sure what you may be referring to. Even if I did, I am not at liberty to discuss the personal lives of students, past or present, with strangers who wander onto my campus. It is a rule, unfortunately," he responded with a bit of sarcastic disappointment. Really, who else could have made that rule but him, and likely in the last thirty seconds? "Now, was that all you wanted to discuss? I must get back to work," he finished with a slight smirk as he motioned to his desk. Ozpin knew he wasn't fooling Vili, but without the aura perception to back it up, there was nothing Vili could do about it, nothing for him to go on. Deciding he wasn't going to play this game, Vili gave in after some thought. After all, he had other options.

"Yea, I guess it was," Vili said after a moment. "Anyway, would you happen to know where Glynda is? I wanted to show her some techniques I learned while in Rakuen that I think she would like."

Again, no one was being fooled in this room, but he played along. "At this time she's usually teaching a class, over in the southern ward. Classroom 680, if my memory serves me right."

"Alright, thanks for the help," Vili thanked him as he rose from his seat. "We'll have to talk later when you're not busy," Vili continued with enthusiasm as he opened the window to hop out.

"Not a problem, Mr. Schwarze. Please keep the distractions to a minimum, it is "crunch time" for the students, and I'm sure many parents would appreciate it if their students did well on any assignments." He tilted his head back a bit at a thought. "On that note, does he know you're here?"

Vili hesitated, considering jumping out the window as though he hadn't heard. With a sigh, he turned to respond. "I haven't told him if that's what you mean. But, you know, he's… _him_. He probably knows anyway," he said slowly.

Ozpin nodded with hum of agreement. "Just thought I'd ask. Do be careful with Professor Goodwitch, she's under a lot of stress around this time of year."

"You think I'll maker her angry? I wouldn't dream of it," Vili said with a shudder. There wasn't really anything she had over Vili, but she commanded such a level of authority that even Ozpin at times was admonished by her, and it occasionally worked. Making her angry was pretty high on the list of things he never wanted to do.

"You'll want to hurry, her class will end soon, and then you'd have to find her in the Emerald Forest. She enjoys walking along the cliffs of that region when stressed." He was already back to working on his paperwork.

"It is in no way disturbing that she told you that," Vili deadpanned. He hopped from the window before he could get a response.

"I imagine it would be less disturbing if she had told me," Ozpin murmured.

* * *

Sun was hunched over the railing of the air yard, still catching his breath from his mad dash through the city. He'd been late, but it seemed the Sostituire Corporation's private flight had been delayed, allowing him to rest. He gazed out into wilds by the yard, watching the air ships coming in to dock. It was impressive to see the variety of ships all somehow flying among each other as they took off to their destinations or landed from far off places. The sky was filled with them, Vale getting a large amount of traffic as the central kingdom with Rakuen to the east, Mistral to the west, and Atlas to the north. No collisions occurred, yet some would come within feet of each other at the smallest margins.

"What are you looking at?"

Sun jumped at the sudden question, turning to find Penny standing behind him. She had the creepiest habit of showing up suddenly and quietly. How she managed it, Sun couldn't guess, since he knew from experience she was significantly heavier than her small stature would imply. A crushed ribcage when she'd tackled him in a hug once taught him that. You'd think her footsteps would be loud enough to notice, even here in the busy air yard, but no.

"Hey! How long have you been standing there?" he said, noticing the annoyed handler behind her.

Her head tilted in contemplation for a brief moment before she answered, "Approximately ten minutes and thirty-two seconds. Why do you ask?" she said pleasantly.

"No reason, it was kind of rhetorical. I thought the flight was delayed," Sun replied, calming since an angry tirade had yet to spew from the handler. Unfortunately, Sun wasn't in the clear yet.

"That was temporary; the flight was put back on schedule. Why weren't you waiting for us, Mr. Wukong? Are you not taking this job seriously? Do you feel like you can do as you please and leave Penny all alone? Do you think we bought that apartment and pay you so Penny can be lonely? Do we need to discuss your treatment of her with Mr. Prasino? Do we need to fire you, Mr. Wukong?" the handler let out in an angry inquisition.

"Uh," he said, nervously scratching his head. "Well, it had said the flight was delayed, so I thought I'd enjoy the view of the ships here-"

"Oh, that sounds wonderful! I will join you, friend!" Penny cut in, coming up to stare in wonder at the air ships.

"Um," Sun hesitated with a glance at Penny, unsure whether he should continue as though she hadn't interrupted or not. He looked to the handler, who had a frown on her face and an angrily tapping foot. He laughed nervously.

"Lucky for you, Mr. Wukong, Penny doesn't seem to mind. You're off the hook. _This_ time," the handler said. Turning to Penny, she continued in a more pleasant manner, "We will be awaiting you're arrival at the laboratory this evening Penny. Please let us know if this… _gentleman_ here fails to keep you entertained throughout the day – we will send a driver to pick you up immediately." A sudden turn back to Sun, complete with an angry attitude. "You are allowed to stay for the evening as there are no operations or tests currently planned tonight. However, you will be removed if you cause any trouble. Again." Then she was off, motioning for several men carrying luggage to follow her out.

Sun visibly deflated once she was out of sight, releasing a sigh of relief. That particular handler, who consistently refused to give him her name, was the one he liked dealing with the least. She made it quite obvious that the feeling was mutual. She drove it home by telling him the reason she wouldn't give him her name was because she believed he wouldn't work with them long enough for it to matter. That had been several months ago now, and at this point he believed she refused to give him her name out of spite. Not that he cared, as he'd grown enough dislike for the woman that he preferred the idea of continuing to refer to her as "the bitchy handler."

He psyched himself up to deal with the energetic redhead next him. "So, what did you want to do today, Penny?" he said with some false cheer. It wasn't that hard to fake, he was happy to see her again. It just didn't help that he'd overslept and had to run all the way here just to deal with the bitchy handler. On top of that, the conversation with that stranger – Vili Schwarze, he remembered – was still hanging in the back of his thoughts. That was what made Penny's suggestion worse.

"I wanted to visit all my friends. It's been awhile since we've seen anyone, even without my trip," she said, a bit of sadness coming into the usually peppy voice.

Sun frowned with regret. He'd wanted to let Penny see everyone before heading to Mistral but they had been busy with school work – something about the last minute grind before the break of the Vytal festival coming up. With the festival beginning in the next week, he hoped the girls and guys at Beacon would be finishing up, but he was unsure about visiting them during a school day like today.

"I don't know, Penny, they were busy and we'd be dropping in unannounced…" he began, falling off at the look of disappointment that came across her face.

Mentally, he sighed. They probably wouldn't mind too much, since it was coming up on three weeks since they'd seen them, but there was also Goodwitch to consider. He really didn't want to run into her today – as bad as their grind had been before, it would be worse now with everything probably being due sometime this week. The last time they'd bothered them at the school during such a time, she'd flung him out of the campus for "interfering with the education of the next generation of guardians against the Grimm." She had followed up by asking if he preferred they end up "abandoning such an admirable cause" as he had. That had stung a bit – it wasn't like he'd wanted to end up kicked out of Sanctum. Though, admittedly, he'd kind of asked for it when he'd skipped school to stowaway on a ship to another kingdom just to fight in a tournament. He didn't even want to think about being kicked out of Singto in Rakuen right now. Shaking the past out of his head, he looked at Penny, disappoint still noticeable on her face even though she'd turned back to look at the ships. He gave in.

"Alright, I guess we can see if they're busy today. But don't get your hopes up, the school's probably putting them to work right about now," he said. He smiled at the look of joy on her face. It was quickly replaced with surpise.

"Magnificent! We don't have any time to waste, they may only be free for while. Come on, Sun!" she exclaimed, beginning to run outside with one of Sun's hands held tight in her own. Sun's feet literally left the ground as she ran off.

As he flew along behind the girl, he prepared for their meeting. While he was looking forward to seeing his friends for the first time in several weeks, this would also let him talk to the girls about his conversation last night. That would be a stressful, especially if he talked with them together. Weiss and Blake were difficult to get information out of at the best of times, and their presence made it just as difficult for the sisters. He'd have to approach things carefully. Unfortunately, he wasn't good at doing that.

* * *

**Well, this was really a set up for the next chapters, so if it seems somewhat unrewarding, I apologize. On the bright side, we finally get to see the show's namesake next chapter (and maybe JNPR, I haven't quite decided yet). As always, any feedback is welcome (and I finally set anonymous reviews on so that will be the case). 'Till next time, shinobi201 wishes everyone a happy holidays, and a merry Christmas, since the next chapter's almost guaranteed to come out after it. Hopefully before new years though.**


	5. Chapter 4: Hazards of Heroism

**I apologize for the late update, and would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year (with 14 minutes to spare as I write this). I have been busy the last few days, and did not get to write as much as I would have liked. Even so, this chapter is longer than the others. I actually considered uploading it as two, but opted to post it as it was. Also, here's an OC post on R/RWBYOC: comments/1u7iem/geisser_schnee_concept_for_the_history_of_broken/**

* * *

Ruby sat staring at the board as Professor Goodwitch filled it with notes. Once upon a time, she would have indulged in any measure of tomfoolery in the classroom. She remembered the early classes during her first year here at Beacon. She would often not pay attention, opting instead to doodle, daydream, and occasionally just dream when she decided a lecture was too boring to stay awake through. She had been excited to begin fulfilling her dream and come to Beacon Academy, even if it had been due to unusual circumstances. But she had still had the mindset of a young girl and had not taken her classes seriously.

Shifting her gaze from Professor Goodwitch to her right for a brief moment, she saw her white-haired partner fully engrossed in the lecture. It had been a brief altercation with Weiss that had started the shift in her mindset. Weiss had previously voiced issues with Ruby within their first day, but this had specifically been about how she was unfit to be team leader. Weiss had said it was a mistake on Ozpin's part, but a talk with Ozpin had told her what she needed to do. It had lead to Ruby reassessing herself afterward. Being a team leader, a huntress, was not a game and could not be treated as such if she wanted her team to succeed. As she had been, Ruby reflected, Ozpin had made mistake in naming her leader. But he had looked beyond what she was to what she could be, and she wanted to meet the expectations he and her teammates had for her.

In retrospect, she hadn't gotten it quite right and worked toward it even now. In the beginning she'd felt the need to show off in battle and wanted to goof off in school. When she'd accepted her responsibility, she instead tried to lead in battle and strive to be the best in class. Admittedly, she had little hope for the last one as Weiss was superb when it came to academics, and she occasionally found herself needing the girl's help to pass, let alone best her. The only exception was Grimm Studies. Her interest in fairy tale monsters made her become fascinated with the beasts at a young age, but Weiss showed little interest in the subject. On the battlefield she had a better chance. Though she still counted their defeat of the nevermore as luck, she proved to have a natural talent for coming up with effective battle plans, even if they were sometimes a bit crazy and reckless. However, she had still been pretty self-reliant in that regard. She didn't really take her teammates' help into consideration here as she had academically. She always did the research and planning herself without asking them for their input, feeling she needed to do it as team leader. Idly rubbing the discolored and puckered flesh that grasped her jaw, she reflected that this had cost her. Her solitary nature had forced her to confront that woman, Cinder Fall, alone, and her life had nearly been the price for it.

Because of what occurred, Team RWBY underwent a pretty major change. Many of the interpersonal issues had been laid to rest by that point, with Weiss warming up, Blake opening up, and Ruby and Yang focusing on taking things a little more seriously for the sake of their level-headed partners. It may have seemed like they were just a team, casual friends working toward a common goal. In reality, they had grown not just to accept each other, but truly value one another. That day had proven that to Ruby more than anything. She had tried being strong for them by standing alone, but they had all come to support her when she fell. They faced a woman who had been well on her way to bringing Vale to its knees, but when Ruby had turned up missing, they wasted no time in coming to her aid. Amazingly, Ruby had been the only one to really be hurt that day, with her teammates suffering only superficial injuries. This is what had allowed them to belay the fears and concerns of their friends with a simple cover – Ruby had gotten herself into trouble and the rest of her team had found her beaten and alone. Their actions back then had made her realize she didn't have a team with these girls – she had a family. Yang was by no means the only one who had fought to save her, and though to this day they thought she had been too out of it to know what they had done and said, it was just that which led to her realization.

She still valued her friendships with Sun, Penny and the members of Team JNPR. She counted them among the greatest friends someone could ask for. But after that day, nothing compared to how Team RWBY valued each other. They still hung out with everyone – sometimes just Sun and Penny, others just Team JNPR, and occasional a full gathering of all ten of the young huntsmen- and huntresses-in-training. Beyond that, however, were the bonds within her team, developed through their hardship against Cinder Fall. Ruby may bear the most easily discernible scars, but the others had not come out unscathed.

Blake had been an interesting one for Ruby to observe from then on. The girl had been quiet and reserved, but not opposed to having fun and goofing around at times. The push and pull to get her to open up had been a difficult thing for Ruby. She had constantly feared that at some point she would go too far and end up with the indifference shown when they had first met. Even once she had opened up to them about her past and nature, Blake often remained quiet. Her books continued to garner her attention much of the time. She seemed to have warmed up the most to Yang's fiery nature, with a reluctant respect for Weiss' meticulousness and an amused tolerance of Ruby's awkwardness. Her countenance was a quiet ember to Yang's loud inferno, forming a good contrast in their pairing. That day, however, Ruby had seen another side of her – a side that burned with her emotions. Blake had been the one to find her that night, and though Ruby hadn't been able to clearly see her dark haired friend, she had certainly felt her. The details were fuzzy, likely due to how close to death she had come, even having her heart stop a couple times before she was stabilized. Even so, Ruby strongly remembered feeling her radiant aura, usually so subtle and imperceptible, pulsing with a muted fury and latent despair. Later when she was consistently conscious and alert, it was not uncommon for Ruby to find the faunus reading by her hospital bed some evenings, a furrowed brow betraying the concerned face behind her book. It was during one such time that Ruby had asked if Blake would read her book to her. One of the things Ruby had used to get her to open up had been their shared interest in books. Now, she had figured, was a chance to further bond with the girl since she now knew she wasn't just tolerating her. She obliged, and it would become a habit where even now the two would often read aloud to one another when together in their dorm room. Though Ruby never quite managed to get the level of emotion from that day out of the girl, she enjoyed the more candid Blake as they would laugh, cry, and discuss whatever book they were reading.

In contrast to how Blake had been relatively calm, Yang had been quite distraught. She had been faced with the very real prospect of becoming an only child and that had not passed without an effect. The change in the blonde was greatest in overall scope. Though still often seen with a smile and happy-go-lucky attitude, her enthusiasm was clearly stemmed. She was no longer known to go out and party with her friends or ride the streets looking for trouble. These things happened rarely now, with the bulk of her time being spent near Ruby, if not actually in her presence. For a time, she had even attempted to talk Ruby into quitting in favor of pursuing a less dangerous profession. When this got their parents and Ozpin involved, it had scared Ruby to see Yang face them with her fiery ire in full bloom, the argument threatening to start a fire. Thankfully, with their parents' and Ozpin's support, Ruby had managed to get her sister to accept her continued efforts to become a huntress. It had not occurred without the girl breaking down before Ruby and begging for forgiveness. She had been in tears, growing angry as she recalled promises she'd always given her sibling to keep her safe and saying Ruby must hate her. Ruby had hastily placated her concerns, troubled by seeing Yang express so much despair and self-loathing. They moved on together, returning to their team at Beacon. However, she would often throw hints about better professions even now. In a similar sense, if Ruby considered her occasionally nagging and annoying before, she was an incessant frustration now. Ruby couldn't so much as take a walk around campus without Yang playing twenty questions when she got back. Ruby tolerated her actions, knowing her sister was only thinking about her safety. Yang's reaction was not really surprising considering her past of supporting and consoling her anxious and doubtful sibling, and thankfully the habits had begun to fall off.

The most surprising reaction would be from the scarred heiress. With Yang, it was to be expected if she felt like she had failed to protect their lively team leader. Weiss, however, proved that she had taken her vow to be "the best teammate" quite seriously. As she coordinated Blake and Yang in treating her until Professor Goodwitch arrived, it was not an exaggeration to say Weiss had saved her life. Afterward, she still held a slightly icy front for others, but presented herself almost as a more rational and reserved opposite to the wild and boisterous Yang for Ruby. Both would later lose sleep over the girl as she recovered, eventually falling into shifts that nearly never left their leader alone. It was somewhat amusing the way the two would fret over the young girl, especially when it came to medical concerns. The fight handicapped Ruby, leaving her with chronic soreness and occasional bouts of crippling sickness or pain. The two would nurse the girl when these occurred, often leading to conflicts when they couldn't agree on what was best for Ruby. The far kinder Weiss that Ruby got to see during these times was what led to her current feelings. Often her fever riddled mind would view the pale haired girl as an angel whose beauty could not be matched. Later, long nights studying with the blue-eyed girl left Ruby with dreams of her looking after Ruby forever, the feeling of her cool touch lighting a fire within Ruby's soul.

With a blush, Ruby realized those glacial eyes were staring back at her with confusion and curiosity. During her thoughts, she'd begun to idly stare at her partner and now she'd been caught. The unvoiced question in Weiss' eyes told her that she hadn't been completely found out, but it was still embarrassing. Shaking her head with a smile, Ruby motioned that it was nothing. Weiss nodded as a small smirk of amusement formed on her face and melted Ruby's heart. She turned back to the front of the class, leaving Ruby to give a small sigh of relief as she looked down at her notebook. She needed to be more careful since that was not the first time she'd been caught staring at the heiress. Mercifully, Yang hadn't noticed – Ruby would never hear the end of it if she did. Or worse, she'd tell Weiss. Ruby couldn't imagine how awkward that would make things, and she desperately feared that the heiress would be put off and distance herself if she found out.

Ruby jumped as she heard Professor Goodwitch say her name. She'd been asked a question about the lecture she'd zoned out on. Thinking back on how her daydreaming had begun, she soured at the irony. So much for paying attention in class.

"Oh! Um, I'm really sorry, Professor Goodwitch, could you repeat the question?" Ruby said quickly, hoping she might get lucky and be able to answer the question anyway. To her left, she noticed Weiss roll her eyes and begin tapping her fingers on her notebook in annoyance.

Professor Goodwitch fixed her with a stare that said "I expected better." Instead she said, "Of course, Miss Rose. I asked if you knew the consequences and requirements for aura exhaustion."

Ruby wondered for a moment if she'd been asked that specific question on purpose. A glance behind her told her Yang was thinking the same thing. Oddly enough, Blake also seemed troubled by the question, but Ruby couldn't imagine why. Turning back to Professor Goodwitch, Ruby answered somewhat mechanically, "Aura exhaustion occurs when you attempt to use your aura when you have run out. The aura will backfire, consuming the body. It kills you, and nothing of the body is left behind."

Professor Goodwitch nodded at the response. "You are correct, but you are forgetting a part of the process. There is another requirement, as part of what you mentioned. Do you know what that is?"

Ruby hummed in displeasure, trying to think what she may have forgotten. Weiss' finger tapping grew more emphatic, distracting Ruby. She wished she would stop that – wait a minute, she couldn't remember Weiss tapping her finger like that before. Ruby would always do it and Weiss would always reprimand her for distracting her. Looking at Weiss, Ruby saw her looking away in annoyance, but she kept glancing at her hand and Ruby out of the corner of her eyes. Turning her attention from her face to her hand, Ruby saw that Weiss was tapping her notes. Notes that held the answer to the question. Ruby silently thanked her companion, glancing through the paragraph to see what she had forgotten. Ah, right, how'd she forget that?

"Oh, right! When you get low on aura, it gets hard to use it. You have to focus really hard, and sometimes it gets painful, so you know that aura exhaustion might happen when you do it, and it doesn't happen by accident," Ruby said in a rush of phrases, happy she'd been saved from not knowing the answer. Professor Goodwitch was guaranteed to give extra assignments if she thought someone didn't find the subject important enough to listen, and Ruby really didn't have time to deal with that with all the projects and tests being due this week. In a rare show of twisted mercy, Professor Goodwitch herself had given them a paper on the interaction of aura and dust due next week during the break. It meant working during the festival, but they wouldn't have to worry about stuff from the other classes.

"Very good, Miss Rose," Professor Goodwitch said with a glance at Weiss as she turned her attention back to the class as a whole. Ruby noticed a slight reddening of her pale cheeks, but she showed nothing else in acknowledgement of being found out. "Yes, when aura reserves go into the red, it often becomes difficult to call upon and unreliable in use. More often than not, it also causes great pain to do so. Aura exhaustion only occurs when someone decides to push their boundaries. It requires a great resolve to follow through, a strong desire to complete whatever it is that your aura is needed to do. For this reason, it is a rare occurrence that kills almost exclusively among huntsmen and huntresses. It is not uncommon for certain auras or semblances to manifest in a unique manner as the body is consumed to fuel the continued efforts to use an exhausted aura. Although only a few such deaths are reported throughout all of Remnant each year, we find it important to educate you on this phenomenon so that you can prevent it from happening to you or your comrades. If you begin to feel difficulty in calling forth your aura or feel pain when you do, you should stop immediately. You should consider all alternatives to continuing to use your aura to avoid an unnecessary death." She glanced at her watch. "Alright class, I want you to read up on the dangers of low aura and aura exhaustion. Next week we will be off due to the Vytal Festival, but do not forget to turn in your assignments before then. Enjoy your break," she closed, beginning to clear the board.

Ruby packed up her nearly finished notes, making a mental note to grab the last bit where she had zoned out from Weiss. As she walked with her team out the classroom, they passed a tan skinned man she couldn't remember seeing before. Darkness accentuated his presence, his black feathery hair and a vest of black feathers catching her attention. As Yang made a cry for an early lunch, she pushed her and Ruby's partner forward at startling speeds. Ruby hung back for a moment, turning to watch the man as he took an expression suggesting he'd found what he was looking for and walked into the classroom they had just left. She was beginning to wonder who he was and what he may be up to when Yang suddenly grabbed her. With a yelp, she found herself being dragged through the hallways by her sister, her white and black themed teammates in similar conditions. For the moment, the stranger went out of her mind and she looked forward to eating before her next class.

* * *

Vili marveled at his luck. He had found the southern ward easily enough, but finding classroom 680 had proved more difficult. He had only been to Beacon once before, and had remained in the central buildings for the most part. He did not know the details of how the classrooms were arranged, as they only seemed to follow a pattern to a degree. The series of numbers would be logical as far as a sequence of a hundred went. However, the organization of the sequences beyond that was not as clear. He had wandered about for some time until he found the wing that seemed to have classrooms in the six hundreds. Knowing he was now on the right track, he quickly tried to find the classroom he was after, knowing he was running out of time. Ozpin had not specified a specific time for when Glynda's class was over so Vili had no way of knowing if she had finished her class while he searched for the room. He only knew that the longer it took, the more likely it was she'd already be gone when he found classroom 680.

When he noticed a nearby classroom up ahead clear out, he grew concerned. Checking the room numbers, he was quickly climbing to 680. All the students weaved around him as he checked the numbers of each classroom he passed. It was odd to see them like this, all wearing the same thing. Perhaps, though, that was why the young girl who caught his eye did. She wore a red cloak over her uniform, making her stand out from the crowd. Catching sight of her as she followed a blonde draggtwo others past, he wondered curiously about the scarring he saw on her jaw. He also noted the white haired beauty the blonde was dragging. She looked familiar, but he couldn't think of where he had seen her before. Setting his thoughts on them aside for a moment, he approached the classroom they came from with apprehension. It was classroom 680, just as he had suspected. He brightened visually as he knew that if she was not inside, Glynda would be very close by. Really, he was lucky to have found her just as she was free but before she could give him the slip.

Vili walked into the room, Glynda sparing him a glance as she finished wiping down the board. Her eyebrows rose slightly in surprise, but she did not speak to acknowledge him as she set the materials away. He considered the woman as she moved around the front of the room. She looked considerably more stressed than when he'd last seen her, slight bags under her green eyes betraying her lack of sleep and a slight frizzing of her blond hair denoting her rushed mornings. Looking deeper, her aura confirmed the suspicions. She was concerned with many things at the moment, each vying for her attention at this busy time of year. He'd make a joke about Ozpin offloading too much of his work to her, but he knew she'd volunteered. Really, the woman should consider letting some things slide or delegating some obligations. He almost felt bad that this would make his attempt at getting information out of her easier while only serving to stress her out more. However, his curiosity was greater than his concern for stressing Glynda out. If anyone could handle it, it was her.

"How have you been Glynda?" he began, knowing she how she would respond.

"I have been well, Mr. Schwarze. Though I'm sure you already knew that." He did, or rather, he knew she was lying, which is what she really meant. He also knew she'd add that. As he expected, she followed up. "What is it you want to discuss with me?"

"Something that occurred just past a year ago," he said, leaning against the wall beside the door. He crossed his arms as she gave him a stern glance.

"A lot happened 'just past a year ago.' I am afraid you will have to be more specific," she said, turning to give him her full attention.

"Specifically, I want to know what you know about Cinder Fall and the events that were brought to national attention two years ago. I know you were involved, but not how she was stopped or what she had planned." A moment passed as she considered him.

"I have heard you've been busy traveling the world, Mr. Schwarze, but I'm sure you must have seen the news. I was a huntress put on the case with several others. As was reported, we found someone had planned an attack against Vale and had been acquiring dust for that purpose. We acted to stop them, making little headway until a crucial piece of evidence allowed us find their hideout. I am uncertain of the connection between these events and the name Cinder Fall." She spoke with calm certainty in her words veracity. Her body language said this was the absolute truth.

_Not bad,_ he thought. "And what happened when you found the hideout? What happened to the leader, Cinder?" he continued, ignoring her statement about Cinder.

"We moved in, seizing anything we found and capturing those who survived the assault. As for the leader, I was not present when she was encountered. I cannot confirm her fate, and I cannot attest that her name was Cinder Fall," Glynda responded. She was skilled. Against someone else, she would probably manage to hide her thoughts easily. However, her aura revealed her half truths to Vili's trained eye. She'd done well so far, but he wasn't finished.

"Is that so? Well, what about all the rumors? You know the stuff about the White Fang? How about Roman Torchwick?"

"Rumors are a not a good way to get information, Mr. Schwarze. You should know better than that. We reported no involvement with the White Fang. As for Torchwick, he was brought in on an unrelated charge."

"That's not what I asked," he responded slowly. "I want to know what _you _know, not what was reported. And don't play dumb, you already admitted to knowing more than what was reported. After all, it was never stated that the leader was a she," he finished.

Glynda frowned, knowing there was not a way to deny the accusation. Indeed, it was not released that it was a woman who had organized the string of crimes. On the contrary, it had actually been reported that it was a man. Vili knew because of his connections with Asylum and the conversation with Sun. For Glynda to have made such a mistake would cost her. Vili had what he needed, now it was just a matter of time. She couldn't hide anything from him, not for much longer. He awaited her attempt to escape, but she surprised him.

"You are right, an error on my part, Mr. Schwarze. However, what I said is still true. You will get nothing more out of me," she said, packing her things up with a trace of annoyance.

"Aw, don't be like that Glynda. It was a fair game, and you did well – only one mistake is more than most can say. And with such confidence, too. Though, I suppose the fact that you didn't really lie to me helps in that regard." As he spoke, he walked closer and placed himself between her and the door. A flicker of the green eyes between him and the door told him the action didn't go unnoticed.

"Mr. Schwarze, we are done with this conversation. Now, if you will excuse me, I have places to be. I trust you can make your way off campus without detection as you did on your way in." She gathered her things in preparation of departure, looking to Vili. He smirked at her subtle accusation, unsure whether he found it funny because it was true or that she knew him better than he thought.

"How about a change of topic? The Emerald Forest isn't going anywhere," he said. She narrowed her eyes at his statement.

"I should have known you visited him first. I had wondered how you managed to find me," she said, setting her things down in defeat. "What else did you wish to discuss?"

"About a student of yours, I feel like I recognized her as she walked out," he said, turning to face the door as he motioned toward it. "White hair, pale skin, blue eyes. Being dragged by a tall blonde with a brunette and a girl with a red clo…ak?" he fell off as the purple wards and symbols indicative of Glynda's work appeared throughout the room. He especially noted their designs, something the two had worked on while he visited before. A design his aura transportation abilities could not travel through, sealing him inside.

**She wouldn't dare…** a voice echoed in his head. He disregarded it, turning to face the woman who now had stern look of determination on her face. Her weapon, pulled from a loop on her hip, was now in hand and her purple aura was flared in preparation. Her teaching materials lay discarded on the ground, where she'd dropped them. The symbols around the room and door were mirrored on her body. _Clever girl,_ he thought.

"Glynda…?" he said inquisitively, suppressing the desire to fill his tone with menace. Though he knew better than to activate his weapon, he prepped his aura and semblance nonetheless. He was not able to escape and had no intention of fighting, but he wanted to be prepared to defend if necessary.

"Why does he have you looking into Cinder Fall? How does he know about those girls?" Glynda spoke coldly, anything short of anger and determination gone from her bearing and aura. She was out for blood. But why?

"Glynda, I don't know who or what you're talking about," Vili said slowly, his mind quickly drawing thoughts together. He? Who, Yasha? Did she think he was working for him? What about those girls? Were they involved? Then it clicked. The scar on that girl's jaw, it was a burn. Just like how Sun had said the leader, Ruby, had been scarred on her throat by Cinder. Glynda thought he was still talking about Cinder Fall. That clarified things, but he wanted to confirm it. "Oh, I see. So, Ruby _was_ involved? And you _do_ know it was Cinder Fall?"

Glynda's eye twitched. An internal curse, Vili imagined. Nonetheless, she kept her tone just as cold and level. "How did you know?" she asked. Vili considered his options, wondering whether he should lie or not.

"I believe there's been a misunderstanding. Yesterday, I arrived in Vale and met a young man who seemed interesting. I asked him how he came to live in Vale, what had been so interesting in his life that it marked his soul. His name was Sun Wukong, and I found a few things about his story… suspicious, to say the least. He mentioned you, so I decided to follow up," Vili said, deciding to go for honesty.

Glynda continued to glare. A tense silence hung in the air, Vili keeping his semblance at the ready should he need to dodge an attack. She spoke again, but this time her voice wasn't as cold, even tinged with hope.

"So you aren't working with anyone? You aren't after the girls? Because if you are, I'll do everything in my power to stop you here and now – even kill you, if necessary," she finished with all the steel back in her voice.

**Not unless she fell first. But you'd prefer it if you died, wouldn't you? **He ignored that sickening echo from his subconscious. A shame, it had been quiet for awhile now; he had hoped it was gone. Not giving it a reply, he instead put his attention on Glynda, intending to show he was not a threat. He suppressed his aura and cut off his semblance as he spread his arms wide to show he was at her mercy.

"No, I was just curious about the truth. Look, I don't want to hurt the girls. If anything, I want to keep them out of it. Someone found it necessary to lie about what happened, and you've been involved with the government long enough to know that is never a good thing. I didn't even know those girls were the ones Sun mentioned, I just put two and two together just now because he mentioned Ruby's scar."

Another long pause, but she seemed less threatening, her weapon lowering a little and her eyes softening as she considered what he said. "One last thing then: why did ask about them?"

He smiled at the thought. "I was getting to that when you trapped me in here. You see, I recognized the white haired girl from somewhere, and I was wondering who she was. But if she's part of Ruby's team… Weiss, right? And the blonde must be Ruby's sister Yang, and the brunette the cat faunus, Blake."

Seeming convinced, she holstered her weapon with a small sigh of relief after a moment. The wards and symbols disappeared from her body and the walls, her aura fading back from active use. She went to pick up her materials, but black feathers began to form over them, causing her to step back.

"Let me get those for you," Vili said, his voice fading from his place across the room and growing from before her as he materialized. Gathering them up, he handed them to her. "Here you go."

"Thank you," she said, taking them with a small and tired smile. "I'm sorry about the accusation. However, I know your mentor and how he operates. He does whatever suits his experiments best, regardless of the consequences to others, and I couldn't risk my students. Especially those girls – they've gone through enough to not even be fully fledged huntresses."

Vili's face hardened at her statements. He knew how Yasha worked too. Before, he'd helped him every step of the way, having fallen just as far. It was why he was doing what he was now. "It's alright. What else could you think of the 'Prince of Darkness' but evil intentions?"

"To be a kind gentleman that helps a woman pick up something she's dropped," she said, heading toward the door as he followed. He gave her a small smile in return. "The girl you recognized was indeed Weiss. Weiss Schnee. I normally wouldn't tell you information about students, but since you already know, it can't be helped. I knew that Wukong fellow would be a problem, I don't see why they socialize with someone like that."

Ah, that explained it. Sun had not given him their last names. The Schnee heiress was not too rare a sight to anyone who kept up with business or entertainment news. Her father and singing voice made sure of that. Sometime ago, he'd met her father, but as he had been on an overseas trip in Mistral she was nowhere to be found. It was unfortunate, as he had liked her singing when he heard it and had shown interest in meeting her at the time. That said, it was surprising to think she was involved. He knew it was not uncommon for the upper class to want their children to do a short stint as a huntsman or huntress before coming back into family concerns, but he had always imagined it happening through private teaching as opposed to combat school. Though, if anywhere would have such students, it was Beacon Academy. Keeping the girls out of the news may very well be her doing then, as well as explaining the survival of the Ruby girl. Regardless of the fact that she had stopped a terrorist attack, Vili had wondered who had foot the bill for such a surgery. If they were a close team, the Schnee's could have easily covered it.

"Oh, he seems like an alright guy. He's managed to get himself a job with the Sostituire Corporation, so that's saying something. It would only be better if Weiss got him a job at the SDC. And don't worry about me talking to him. The 'Prince of Darkness' has a certain charm that makes people sing when he wants them to. I mean, look at how today went. I have gone from not knowing anything but the official reports that I thought were lies to actually knowing they _are_ lies. Pretty good, don't you think? "

Now standing outside the doorway, Glynda rolled her eyes at his partially sincere vanity. "There are other things that could and should capture your curiosity. Also, please bear in mind that I have a job that says you should not know what you now know. Those rules – and laws – exist for a reason, regardless if they are sometimes misused."

"Don't worry about it Glynda, we never spoke. Just erase the tapes or something. You're in a high enough position for that."

"No need. Those designs of yours don't just stop your little escape act, they also cut whatever room I practice on out of the surveillance system while in effect. The design is quite powerful. If I didn't say it before, you did well in helping me make them. However, as skilled as you are, you should be careful. This was a misunderstanding, but we could have ended up with a full fight. I would have kept it between us, but there are a number of other huntsmen and huntresses on this campus at my level, not to mention the students and Professor Ozpin. There are times you must exercise caution."

Vili considered her words with restrained glee. He found it odd about the designs, but it was an encouraging thing to know they were so effective in isolating. They were intended to block aura and aura perception, but if they could block the surveillance there was more potential. Though, now that he thought about it, he didn't know how Beacon's surveillance worked. Ozpin had shown views on his scroll that seemed utterly impossible to get, as though a camera should be floating right before their faces. It was something to think about. On her warnings, he responded.

"I know. I am aware that for all my strength, there are still things even I could not win against." His towering master appeared in his mind's eye. Flashes of crippling pain and absolute dread followed. He shook them out of his mind where they would wait for night to return. Looking to the ground, he continued with regret in his voice. "But for the most part I should manage. Asylum is no easy place to grow up in; it takes a certain level of strength and knowledge just to avoid being killed, let alone having any semblance of freedom. I didn't get my title for nothing. The 'Prince of Darkness' was something whispered in fear, something almost as horrifying as the 'King of Shadows.' I may be done with all that, but I still have everything I learned from it, and all the strength that brings with it." He brightened, looking up at her with a smile. "That's what I'm doing this for. To move on, and make people happy instead of terrified. So I can say I did something beside cause suffering and pain for others. This whole Cinder Fall thing is bigger than it seems, and that can't be good. I just need to get the bottom of this. If anything fishy is going on, I want to know about it so I can stop it."

Glynda looked at him with sadness in her eyes. She had just spoken of how she knew Yasha. Not for the first time since meeting him, she wondered how Vili turned out as well as he did. He grew up in a place the civilized people of the four kingdoms referred to as worst than a nightmare, which was why it wasn't acknowledged as one of the four kingdoms. Yasha, who had been the only person he really had interaction with beyond customized Schnee droids, had been exiled for his cruelty. Exile had been the death sentence of the four kingdoms. It had meant you were found not worthy of their protection, and would wander the wilds until the creatures of darkness took your life. The illicit creation of Asylum was the only reason that had changed. How had Yasha treated this young man when he had been sentenced death for how he treated others? What had he made him do that he felt compelled to help people the world over to atone for his sins?

"Just be careful, Vili. There are things at play here, things bigger than a 'Prince.' I don't know what you expect to do, or why you are interested in Cinder Fall, but you should leave it alone." She flicked out the lights and locked the door to the classroom. Then she fixed green eyes on his black ones, driving home the warning with a final statement. "Especially while you are here in Vale."

Before he could respond, she walked off down the hallway. He looked down, considering her words. Glynda was worried, though she was doing a good job of hiding it. It wasn't necessarily for herself, but even so, that means something else was going on. She had suspected Yasha's involvement. She wouldn't think that without reason. She was worried for the girls' safety, and with sudden suspicion, he suspected she worried for his as well. However, he reflected, the evidence was really in what had just occurred. She wouldn't have given him the chance, wouldn't have warned him away if she didn't. His thoughts about feeling bad for stressing her only grew. It made him happy to think she cared for him, as he wouldn't have thought she did. He had assumed that he would irritate her a little by getting information out of her, but now it seems she was worried about Vili's fate. Continuing on his present course was dangerous, that was the message. However, so had been his life working under Yasha. Danger did not discourage him, it only encouraged him that something was going on that should not be happening. Good people don't make people disappear when others have found their secrets, as evidenced by Glynda letting him go.

Vili had told Sun he was a rogue huntsman, but that was not exactly true. He more often found himself fighting criminals by looking into things like this. If someone was going to stop him for finding out about Cinder Fall, then they would be his next target. He was a predator, and he would feed on those who bettered their lives at the expense of others. That was what he had done for four years, honing his craft every step of the way. He had found tracks, but he had yet to find the deer. His aura flared as feathers flew from his body in all directions, casting aside concerns of being caught. Though it would exhaust him, he intended to scour the campus. He needed more information. He needed to speak with Ruby.

* * *

Standing at his desk with scroll in hand, Ozpin stared at the video feed. It showed a young man disappearing in a flurry of black feathers that began to fly across the campus. He had noticed when a room dropped out of surveillance, knowing only one thing could do that. His suspicions had been correct when he found it was indeed room 680 which had been blocked from sight. External visual on the doors allowed him to see the signs of Glynda's work. Unease had grown within him as he wondered what was going on. He had been debating going down there when surveillance returned and he was allowed to listen in on the rest of their conversation. Guessing from his conversation, Vili already knew quite a bit about Cinder Fall, and as Ozpin expected, Glynda had confirmed Vili's thoughts. Though, to her benefit, he had not expected her to have done it intentionally. Still, this changed things. With a glance toward the large display case, he became further convinced this was not over. The game had been only just beginning two years ago, and now a new piece, the black prince, had found his way onto the board. There was only one thing he was still unsure of. Whose side was he on?

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**Well, that was that chapter. I'm working on the next as I type. I'm working on finishing up all this world building/exposition. Once I've done with that, the plot should pick up the pace a bit. You'll still get plenty of world building though. As always, I appreciate any feedback. I can see what looks like around one to two hundred regular views, a few followers, and a favorite, and I thank you all for showing interest. See you next chapter.**


	6. Chapter 5: A Meeting at Supper

**Okay, so I'm uploading this chapter at the same time as the next one. I decided to do that because they were around nine thousand together and I felt like where I stopped was a reasonable place to stop. This A/N is short, just me telling you that I'm adjusting the summary a bit and that I've added a link to my reddit submitted page. The summary was added to mention the largely AU elements of Broken Wings. The long author's note I put at the end of the next chapter will have more on that. The reddit submitted page has some posts to r/RWBYOC that you may find interesting and relevant to the story, but are not required for it. I may do more in the future, but spoilers are more prevalent in everything else I've written so I'm not sure how I'll handle that. Anyway, here's chapter 5 of Broken Wings.**

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Blake stared at the book on her lap, not really reading the words. She had been trying to sneak ahead in the book she and Ruby had begun reading to each other, but she found herself too distracted. It seemed something had come up for Professor Port, so the Grimm Studies class was cancelled. Without having their last class, the girls had gone to the cafeteria for an early dinner. Now Team JNPR had joined them, and the cafeteria as a whole seemed more crowded. The noise level had risen as conversations sprung up, and though she could easily ignore them, she found herself interested in the one going on within her group.

"So you've totally got the hots for this guy, right?" Yang teased their leader, poking her with her fork as she ate her third plate of food. How those two – well, just Yang since Ruby's fight with Cinder – could eat so much Blake couldn't guess. Yang was the tallest girl of Team RWBY with the most developed muscles but what she ate seemed far more than enough to maintain that. Nonetheless, she never gained weight or lost her figure. The continued flirting by the younger boys, and some older men, would testify to that.

"Wh-what? No! I'm not-I mean, no! He just stood out because I've never seen him before," Ruby stammered out, her cheeks reddening. Ruby had told them about a man she'd seen this morning as they left Professor Goodwitch's class and Yang had jumped on it like a hawk.

"Uh huh," Yang said with a smug look. "I'm sure that's why you were staring at him."

"I wasn't staring! He walked past us and I watched him go into the classroom. It wasn't even five seconds! Definitely not enough time to stare," Ruby shot back, murmuring the last bit.

The two sat next to each other, across from their respective partners. Beside Blake, Weiss was studying with an annoyed look on her face. Beyond her was Pyrrha, herself seemingly having given up on the textbook before her in favor of listening in on the girls' conversation as Blake had. She had opted out of any actual food, a drink sitting by her side. Jaune was also listening as he sat next to Ruby, having previously been a part of conversation before it moved onto its current topic. His food lay half eaten and forgotten. At the end, Ren seemed absorbed in his food, but Blake suspected he was also listening. Nora was the most obvious, leaning toward Pyrrha to get closer, and her arms on the table. Her empty tray lay to the side, the food having been eaten almost immediately.

"What did he look like? Oh, was he tall and mysterious? Did he wear a big hat and large coat so you couldn't see his face?" Nora inserted herself into the conversation. Ruby responded, seeming relieved to have someone say something that didn't imply ulterior motives for being interested by the man.

"Uh, not really. He was actually kind of short, with black everywhere: black hair, black eyes, black clothes. He really stuck out to me because his vest and hair looked like they were made of feathers. I thought that was really odd, and I was wondering if he was a bird faunus or something since…" she faded off at a glare from Weiss. Blake had an idea of what would happen next. "Um, what is it, Weiss? Am I bothering you again?" she said, her voice a little shaky from nerves. Blake took note of the way she looked at Weiss. It was kind of sad that she was so bad at hiding how attracted to the girl she was. It was almost as sad as Jaune and Pyrrha still not figuring out whatever was going on between them.

"No, you dunce!" Weiss exploded. "Did you just say bird faunus? Do you honestly not know that faunus are only mammals? Have you been paying attention to anything the past two and a half years?"

And there it was. If Ruby had asked her earlier, she would have saved Ruby from Weiss' short temper but this was the first Blake had heard of it. Blake herself had noticed the man this morning, and while she wasn't sure what kind of faunus he was, she had known the feathers were something unrelated. Even if she hadn't known faunus were all mammals, the long black ears atop his head should have been enough to tell he was not a bird.

"I'm sorry! I must have forgot!" Ruby forced out quickly, looking down to avoid Weiss' continued glare.

Yang shot Weiss a look. _Fix it_. They had talked about this before. Weiss had warmed up considerably, especially to Ruby, but this time was particularly stressful for her. This meant she tended to be set off at the drop of a hat, and considering the open secret of Ruby's infatuation, they had agreed that Weiss should be careful during such times. Weiss immediately softened, someone as observant and close to her as Blake being able to catch the quick appearance of regret. She took a deep breath, a hand rubbing her temple, before continuing.

"No, you're fine Ruby. It's just that I am trying to study – for a test we all need to take tomorrow, by the way – and you and Yang were being… distracting. I got a little too irritated, and I overreacted. I'm sorry," she said slowly and sincerely. Blake suppressed a smirk. It was like a whole different Weiss, one that was kind and caring. It was quite a ways from the ice princess. _Now if only she would act that way toward the rest of us_, Blake thought.

"No, no, it was kind of stupid now that I'm thinking about it – I don't know what would make me think there could be bird faunus anyway," Ruby said quickly, always trying to keep the peace.

It was a trait that Blake found had become far more common. Ruby never liked any form of conflict in the team, and if it was with her, she would immediately step down if she deemed the issue trivial. It was something that had convinced her initial impressions for the girl had been correct. Ruby seemed like a girl who wanted everything to work out, wanted everyone to be happy. Blake had thought that such a naïve and optimistic view would vanish because of the hardships of Beacon, and yet Ruby kept her bright outlook even after they had faced far worse. She was almost envious of her leader's ability to hold on to her dreams when she herself had been so ready to let her own go – both as a little girl and more recently as a huntress-in-training. The young girl had really proven to be quite the inspiration, and not just for Blake. She knew that Yang and Weiss had been genuinely shocked by Ruby's continued fervor in becoming a huntress for the people, and she suspected their friends had similar attitudes.

"Oh, don't feel bad, Ruby. Jaune did not know that faunus could hear from their animal ears," Pyrrha said with humor. "He only found out when he saw Blake move her ears under the bow so she could better hear a lecture one day."

"I remember," Blake said. "He almost let the whole class know about my ears."

"That's not fair! I just thought they were, I don't know, decoration or something. Then I find out they move and you can hear through them – that's so awesome! I wasn't trying to out you!" Jaune defended.

"You're doing it again," Ren quietly interjected between bites of his food.

"What?"

"Being loud about her secret."

"Oh, crap. Sorry Blake, I don't think anyone heard me," he said, quickly looking around the neighboring tables. No one seemed to be paying them any mind, too preoccupied with their own conversations to care.

"It's okay. Just be more careful, alright?" she said. Turning her attention back to Ruby, who had once again taken relief in having the spotlight off of her, she returned back to the original topic. "I don't know who that man was, but I also noticed him this morning. He is a faunus, he had ears on his head, but I don't know what kind. I am also curious who he was, and what he might be doing here at Beacon."

"Probably not anything official, since that shouldn't warrant a physical meeting during teaching hours. Probably just someone giving Professor Goodwitch a personal visit," Weiss put in her two cents, having stopped studying. It seemed the conversation had become too distracting for her as well.

"Am I the only one who didn't notice this guy this morning?" Yang said.

"You were probably too busy forcing Blake and I down the hall so you could satisfy your greedy appetite," the heiress countered. Yang looked like she was going to dispute that, but Weiss' stare set on her two empty plates and half full third stopped her.

"Okay, maybe I was in a bit of a hurry this morning," she relented. With a familiar tilt of her head as her fork fell against her lips, she lost herself in thought. Blake always found the motion endearing, having seen it often as the blond studied in their dorm. Yang voiced what she had been considering. "But who would be visiting Professor Goodwitch?" A good question.

"A secret liaison with a mysterious man does seem odd," Blake mused aloud.

"She did kind of look like she needed a stress reliever…"

"Yang!" Weiss shouted in mortification.

A collective groan had escaped most of the table. Juane and Ruby looked uncomfortable with red as strong as Ruby's cloak filling their cheeks. Pyrrha looked at Yang with disapproval, and her face was sharing the color of her hair like the leaders. Nora seemed fascinated by the prospect. Ren kept his composure but a slight shake of his head and reddening of the cheeks marked his discomfort. Blake found the comment bringing a smirk because of its suddenness, but it was ultimately unsurprising.

"What? I'm just saying she always seems kind of stressed out. Maybe the Professor needs some help to feel good, which I feel is perfectly fine. She's a grown woman who can do what she wants. It is a perfectly reasonable and mature explanation. We're all adults here – well, besides Ruby," Yang replied in an indignant tone.

"You don't think it would be right there in the classroom though, would you?" Nora interjected.

"Eeeew!" Jaune.

"Gross! Gross! Gross!" Ruby.

"Nora!" This was Ren.

"But you heard Yang! It is a 'perfectly reasonable and mature explanation,'" she replied, mimicking Yang's indignant tone, which had itself been copied from Weiss.

"Thank you," Yang said. Turning to Weiss, she continued. "See, someone agrees with me."

Weiss' mouth twitched, as though she were going to reply. Instead, she put her face in her hand and sighed, a large vein in her temple visibly throbbing. "Why do we put up with them again?" she whispered just quiet enough that only Blake heard her.

Blake chuckled before responding, "Because they're our friends."

A sigh. "Don't remind me." Blake gave her a small smile.

"Yang, Nora, while you may be right about it being a…'perfectly reasonable and mature explanation,' I don't think that is what this is about," Blake said, turning her attention back to the group as a whole. "Since it would not make sense for him to be a government official, due to the unique clothing and more convenient alternative of digital messaging, he was likely a huntsman. Perhaps he's a former student who wanted to visit her?"

"Who would want to come back to see her?" Jaune said. "She's so mean; I can't see anyone saying she's their favorite teacher." Murmurs of assent went around the table.

"She's my favorite," Ruby put in quietly. Incredulous stares and open mouths greeted the girl.

"Really, sis?" Yang finally managed out of her gaping.

Ruby seemed embarrassed but elaborated. "I guess it really started before I came here. But, you all know how I got in early? When I stopped Torchwick?" Nods were seen around the table. "Professor Goodwitch was the huntress that came that day." Blake was surprised; she had not actually known that. From the look on everyone's faces, neither had they. "I didn't know it at the time, but the woman with Torchwick was Cinder Fall." A dark mood passed over the table, more so for Team RWBY's half. Memories of their encounters with the woman, down to the last one on that frightening night, began to surface within Blake. "Professor Goodwitch and I fought her, but really it was all Professor Goodwitch. It was just so awesome – I was seeing a huntress in action! The two went back and forth with spells: fireballs, ice crystals, and a stone spear-thing. As soon as one got the upper hand, the other would counter. It was quick but amazing. Even against someone like that, she had no fear. I bet if she hadn't been worrying about me, she could have taken her in then and there. So, ever since that night, she's kind of been what I've striven for. I want to be like her, strong and confidant. The last few years, especially with her help that night," her hand touched her scars as she paused for a brief moment. "With her getting me to the hospital, I've only become more convinced of just how great she is. I know she's really harsh sometimes, but she's a huntress, and she wants us to be ready to do what we need to when the time comes. I was inspired by my grandmother to become a huntress, and she's really my personal hero." She rubbed the silver rose buckle she occasionally wore with her school uniform. "She fell in the line of duty, but if we're talking about heroes who are still living, then Professor Goodwitch is right up there with her."

Blake was genuinely moved by the speech. She had not known Ruby held Professor Goodwitch in such high regard. During their time against Cinder Fall, she'd found out two of the huntsmen and huntresses who had been assigned to Cinder Fall's case. One had been Professor Goodwitch, the other Yang and Ruby's Uncle Qrow. Who the others had been, she didn't know. These two, however, she had briefly seen in action. Professor Goodwitch had been on the defensive or healing, but that had been impressive enough to earn Blake's respect. She certainly deserved her position here at Beacon, though her abilities made her wonder what Ozpin had up his sleeve if he was considered the most venerable huntsman at the Academy. Perhaps that was why Ruby was also known to look up to Ozpin as though he were a god. Professor Goodwitch and her Uncle Qrow were impressive, but the implication was that Ozpin was better. Recalling their luck with Cinder, she wondered what it must have been like to see Glynda duel the rogue huntress. For an impressionable fifteen year old girl with dreams of becoming a huntress, she imagined it had definitely been awesome. It's a wonder she hadn't asked for an autograph.

"We had no idea you felt that way about her. We didn't mean to insult Professor Goodwitch, she is an admirable woman. It is just that she isn't the nicest of teachers, and the work load in her classes is particularly high. We can get caught up in how she is as a teacher and forget what she's like as a person," Pyrrha put forth in apology.

Ren nodded in agreement as Nora jumped up. "Yea, we didn't mean to say your hero was a meanie."

"You're so sweet!" Yang exclaimed as she pulled Ruby into what appeared to be a crushing hug. It was in fact surprisingly gentle, the sister ever mindful of her sibling's injuries.

"Yang! Geroff me!" Ruby squeezed out from Yang's smothering embrace.

"Well, if Ruby would visit Professor Goodwitch, I suppose it isn't too unreasonable that guy you were talking about would," Jaune said, bringing the topic back around.

Blake nodded in thought. Perhaps the man was simply a former student who wanted to speak with her. The fact that he had known where to look meant he had not just wandered onto the campus. Either Professor Goodwitch had expected him or he'd gone through administration to find her schedule. However, Blake couldn't shake that something felt… off. There had been something about his presence that set her hair on end, despite his pleasant bearing. Something about the way she'd seen him focus on their group with an idle curiosity, getting a good look into his eyes. They had seemed almost child-like in their inquisitiveness, but there was something else beneath that. Or rather, it was like there was nothing beneath it – as though she were looking into something so old that it possessed only a shadow of its former passion. Thinking back, a few others had similar gazes – Cinder being the most recent. It was a gaze that felt like you were only seeing a facade and that beneath it they were husks. It was a feeling she got with Ozpin as well, as though they had endured something that had drained them. However, Ozpin's presence put her at ease instead of making her uneasy like the others had. It was an odd feeling, and Blake could not guess what it meant.

"Speak of the Darkness," she heard Ruby whisper, stopping her struggling against Yang to look past Blake and Weiss.

Blake furrowed her brow in confusion before turning to look behind her. The shiver down her spine told her what she would see before she did. The man in question was heading toward them, coming from a shadowed portion of the cafeteria as though he had materialized there. Blake found herself finishing the phrase, "And it will find you."

"Oh, is that him? Well, at least Professor Goodwitch has good taste," Yang said as she noticed their attention shift to the man. She let go of her sister, straightening her hair from the struggle.

Weiss cast another glare her way while Blake just gave her a humored eyebrow raise. Yang shrugged with a smirk as Ruby ignored her sister's comments in favor of making herself presentable. Team JNPR also turned their attention to the man as he approached, curiosity etched even into Ren's face.

He seemed tired from the way he moved, his body having a certain lethargy that made it seem as though he had just finished running a marathon, though his breathing seemed regular. His dark eyes were set on their table, leaving little doubt that this was in fact his destination. He seemed somewhat taken aback by the sudden attention of the table, smiling nervously as he neared them. Then he spoke, voice sounding confidant and polite.

"Excuse me, but I think I know who you are and would like to speak with you." His eyes swept the table, but focused on Ruby. Blake turned her eyes to her leader, catching Weiss and Yang doing the same. The same question burned in their eyes: get rid of him?

Ruby gave a subtle shake of her head, bringing a smile to her face as she turned to face the man. Blake did the same, feeling her skin crawl at his presence. "Uh, sure. Go ahead," Ruby said.

His smile widened. "Excellent. Now, you are Ruby, correct? Leader of these fine ladies in Team RWBY?" he said, motioning to Blake, Weiss, and Yang.

"Yes."

"Well, would you care to answer a few questions I have?"

"About what?" Weiss interjected coldly. Her tone was sharp and haughty. It came as a bit of a shock to Blake. It had been so long since she'd heard the ice princess in all her harshness.

To his credit, the man did not seem intimidated. If anything, he seemed amused by the heiress' play of superiority. Turning to her with a smile, he responded. "A number of things. I suppose I should cut to the chase, though. I am curious about what happened when Cinder Fall gave you that scar," he said, pointing to Ruby's throat.

Instantly, Ruby's chair was pushed back with an exclamation of surprise, her blond sister standing before her with flickers of flame in her hair. Similarly, Blake and Weiss stood between the man and the table. Just as her own aura flared, Blake felt the harsh cold of the heiress' white aura. Team JNPR seemed taken aback by their threatening response, but quickly rose with their own aura's flared to support them. Blake noticed the dark glint behind his friendly gaze as his dark aura briefly flared, seeming to come from his hair and vest. Its color was disturbing. Blake thought her aura was as dark as it got, being considered black. This man's, however, was possessing of intensity so great that it seemed not to emit light, but absorb it. It reminded her of the body of a Grimm.

"I'm sorry, was that a taboo subject?" he said, stepping back as his hands rose. He still spoke with a pleasant voice and a smile.

"Yes, now leave," Yang spat with venom. Her eyes were red – never a good sign with her. Blake made a hand motion for her to calm down, making eye contact. The color faded, but small licks of flame remained.

"How do you know about that?" Weiss said, ignoring Yang's threatening message.

"Let me explain. I'm looking into Cinder Fall, and what she was doing when she was stopped. I don't mean to upset you. I have already spoken with Ozpin, Glynda, and a young man named Sun. I simply wished to find more about what happened from someone who faced her directly."

That explained what he had been doing with Professor Goodwitch. That said, their involvement with Cinder had been minimized. No one should know about it besides government officials. Speaking to Sun wasn't much of a statement of worth, as he was very outspoken and straightforward to talk to. If he'd spoken with both Glynda and Ozpin, however, then he must have had some level of authenticity. Was this guy actually working for the government? And if so, why would he be here now, over a year later?

"I'm going to need more than that," Weiss said, her fingers subtly moving. She was preparing glyphs, though how effective they'd be without Myrtenaster was in question.

"Perhaps you would prefer to speak somewhere else. It would be more comfortable – and private," he said, glancing around the room. Blake followed his eyes to find that almost all conversation in the cafeteria had stopped as everyone focused on their table.

Weiss pursed her lips for a moment of consideration. "Follow me," she said suddenly, quickly walking off.

"JNPR, would you kindly take our stuff to our dorm when you go?" Blake said, hurrying after the heiress and the man who followed her.

"U-uh, yea, sure we can do that, right guys?" Jaune stammered out as she left earshot.

"Yes, certainly," Pyrrha said hesitantly, letting her aura fade.

"Wait up!" Ruby called, jumping up after her teammates. Yang seemed annoyed, shooting a glance toward Team JNPR as she followed her sister.


	7. Chapter 6: Interrogation

Weiss ran through various glyphs and spells she could use both with and without Myrtenaster. She was leading the mysterious man toward the armory, where she hoped to be able to grab her weapon if she needed it, but at the same time knew she may not get the chance. The man seemed willing to be cordial as he'd kept a pleasant attitude and avoided threatening speech and actions. However, she felt like this was just a formality and was by no means the only way he was willing to work. She suspected that if they did not play along, they would find themselves in trouble. He had spoken with both Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch if he was to be believed, and she found little reason not to. It was not a measure of his trustworthiness but a logical conclusion from the evidence. His presence on this campus and his encounter with Professor Goodwitch were undeniable. He would have to have some measure of authority or legitimacy behind his claims for him to have met them now. Therefore, she was not entirely willing to openly confront him. If he was some form of official, then there would be a number of problems with doing so. However, she intended to let him and whomever he may work for know that they were not to be used. It would just be a demonstration of the fact that they could and would push back if they needed to.

She intended to keep things civil if it could be done. The positioning in the armory and preparation of spells and glyphs were merely an erring on the side of caution. Common sense told her violence was extremely unlikely, at least for this encounter, but something about his bearing marked him as a warrior with little fear of the girls. He intended to used them, manipulate them, and she was not going to allow that. They had been through enough with Cinder Fall – Ruby had been through enough. She didn't think that her agreeable team leader would approve of this kind of response, but she was doing it for her sake. Weiss was a noble, and as she continued to learn with each passing year, that was a world where nothing was off limits – even manipulating naïve huntresses until they kill themselves for your benefit.

When she'd first met the girl, Weiss had thought nothing of what she had called the "strongest child to sneak into Beacon." However, she regretted her initial judgments toward her. The claim of strongest was quite accurate, but there was no doubt the girl earned her place in Beacon. Moreover, she possessed a will and mindset that was right out of the fairy tales she liked to read. She was naïve and often foolish, but she was also kind, moral, and determined. Over time, she found herself not just tolerating the leader, but admiring her. And yet Ruby was always the one who seemed awed by the heiress, praise she once would have gladly accepted but now felt unworthy of. Early on she'd spoken to Professor Port, and he had proceeded to give her a verbal reality check. Weiss was someone who strove for perfection, had been raised for it from the moment she could understand words. Her family prized excellence, and anything less was a disgrace. She had always measured herself by a bar that was hopelessly high. She now recognized that her initial problem with the girl was that she made her feel less than perfect in a number of ways. Here was a young girl in the position of leader who proved herself in battle through reckless abandon, seemed hardly better than a bumbling fool, and struggled for academic mediocrity, let alone excellence. However, she had a heart and will that Weiss found inspiring. Weiss now felt like the real measure of her worth was from the adoration of this girl whom Weiss found in much the same light. The strength to continue fighting after what she endured, to hold onto life with such vigor, was astounding. She had been ready to stand down and support this gem of a girl, but Ruby's feelings and aspirations for her seemed higher. As a child, she'd always wanted a sibling to share in her hardship, someone she could support and be supported by in her lonely days on the estate. So Weiss found herself thinking of Ruby as the little sister she had never had. Someone she would do her best to protect with all her strength, to help her reach her dream of being a huntress who would better the world. She held herself to that bar of perfection for Ruby now, not her family.

"Weiss, where are you leading him?" Blake whispered as she appeared next to her in pace. The young man was following idly, seemingly admiring the school's design.

"Armory," Weiss clarified. A look of understanding flashed in those yellow eyes.

This was another girl Weiss had found herself at odds with for a brief time. Originally, Blake had been her favorite of their team – and likely that was why she was willing to resolve their issues so quickly. She had seemed the only one who took things seriously. Now that Weiss knew why, the two shared a certain measure of respect for their very distinct backgrounds. Their pasts had forged what was a young woman that knew the value of knowledge and diligence, possessed a strong work ethic, and were intensely loyal to the few friends they had. Blake had been quite accepting of Weiss, willing to look past what had been a horribly spoiled and disparaging noble girl for the sake of their shared team. For this reason, Weiss was willing to ignore her criminal past. Weiss had found that they had both found themselves held to a standard they did not want to meet. Even so, they wanted their team to be great, and each continued to move toward that goal. In sharing that, they both kept the sisters focused on being the best they could be, though admittedly that did not mean much at this point as both had come around.

As they neared the armory, she glanced toward the man. Recognition flashed in his eyes, bringing a small smile to his face. She faltered again because of this. In the cafeteria he had shown that same level of confidence, as though their strength was cute. It was something that conflicted with the tired way he moved, how he seemed so close to exhaustion. The problem was that as much as she wanted to believe this was ill founded vanity, she could not bring herself to do so. Even so, she steeled herself and prepped her glyphs. As she entered and the man followed, she held her hands in preparation. Blake had been right behind her and now stood beside her. They were at the far end with four pillars before them and the door on the far end. The man stood before them in the pillars, and as first Ruby and then Yang rushed into the armory, she released the glyph. Activating on the four pillars, it formed a walled cell the man was now locked in. He eyed it with the same small smile and look of amusement in his eyes.

"Weiss?! What are you doing?!" Ruby cried as she took in the situation.

"Just a precaution, I'm sure. No need to worry, Ruby, I take no offense," the man replied.

Weiss narrowed her eyes to blue ice slivers. "Yes, just a precaution. I'm glad you understand."

"Of course. I can't blame you, you are her students."

"Whose students?" Yang asked in confusion.

"Glynda. She tried a… similar technique when I asked about you. All a big misunderstanding, of course, as I'm sure is the case with you."

"We'll see. Now, it's my turn to ask a few questions. Who are you, and how did you find out about us?" Weiss said, keeping the sting in her voice.

"I believe I told Mr. Wukong I was a traveling huntsman. Feel free to verify with him, he's told me he is a friend. Similarly, that is how I found out about you. I was traveling the world when he told me his tale. Quite impressive, if I may say, that a few first year huntresses-in-training could defeat Cinder Fall. She was a dangerous woman, from my experiences with her. Even better is the fact that there are number of such interesting facts in that story. These facts warranted closer inspection. So I came to Ozpin, who did not tell me anything though he directed me to Glynda. She took some work getting information out of, but I eventually walked away with her acceptance." He remained pleasant, no sign of malicious intent or deception present. Her glyphs were responding to his aura, but nothing seemed irregular as there were no preparations for attack, no flaring as a protective shield, or even any use of semblance, which she noted she did not know. The tournament last year had told her how dangerous that could be – even knowing Pyrrha's had not saved her from defeat. Believing his words, she pounced on a certain statement.

"Traveling huntsman? You mean a rogue huntsman, like Cinder Fall?"

He faltered for a moment, caught in his half truth. After all, he had only said what he had told Sun. Her glyphs picked up something, but it was far too brief and faint for her to read it. He was good at controlling his emotions internally, even if he acted like he wasn't externally. But what good did it serve to actively show emotions like surprise and embarrassment when you hide them in your aura? Lulling people into false security perhaps?

"Heh, well, personally I prefer the term traveling huntsman. It better describes what I do," he said with a nervous laugh. If it weren't for the glyphs, she would have thought it was genuine, but his aura did not reflect his attitude. It didn't mean he wasn't actually nervous, just that he had the self control not to show it but chose to anyhow. She didn't like that, though a part of her chastised her for condemning his honesty.

"You're a rogue huntsman. A traveling huntsman is someone who does not swear fealty to one of the four kingdoms or the world government. They answer to no one, working independently of anyone else. A rogue huntsman is one without a law or code to bind them, just as you imply you are by saying you are a traveling huntsman. You are no better than Cinder Fall, which you claimed to have met. Now, who are you really, and why are after us?" Weiss had the startling thought that perhaps this man had somehow gotten through the security. She had assumed he'd been let in because Beacon was so secure, with people like Ozpin and Glynda to keep an eye on things. But what if he beaten or killed them? Something was up today, as the campus had been on alert about something. She had thought it was a Grimm again since Professor Port had cancelled class, but what if it was this man. Could he be capable of that? And if so, what about Sun? She didn't particular care for the young monkey faunus, but she would not have wanted him getting hurt or killed, especially for their sake.

The man sighed. "Let's try this again. My name is Vili Schwarze, rogue huntsman as you say. I was born and raised on Asylum, and over the last four years have been journeying the world helping any traveler I have met and stopping any criminals I encountered. Upon entering Vale, I met Sun, just last night. He and I spoke throughout the night about how he came to be in Vale, since I recognized him as someone from Rakuen. Now, I noticed certain elements of what he said did not make sense. Somebody somewhere is hiding and manipulating things regarding Cinder Fall. They would have to have some pull with the government to do so, and therefore I suspect corruption. This is just the sort of thing I've made it my job to stop. You suspect me of endangering you, of using you, yes?"

Weiss was surprised at his ability to see through her that easily. She kept up the appearance of cold and harsh, but internally her concerns of who she was trying to contain fueled her latent anxiety. Her will was not as strong as her leader's, and the horrible tendrils of fear she struggled to keep at bay since childhood began to worm forward. With a start, she realized the man was right before her, looking at her as though he could see to her very core. Her glyphs were firing like crazy, telling her his aura was is full effect. However, she couldn't see anything, couldn't detect what was happening. Was it his semblance? What was he doing? His eyes seemed so dark. Even though her glyph stood between them, she felt as though she was looking into a bottomless abyss that would drag her in and never let her escape. The stare lasted for sometime before he spoke.

"Relax, I won't harm you," he said quietly, looking into her eyes. It almost seemed like his words echoed from within her, forcing her to listen as her fear subsided. He stepped back, turning his attention off of her specifically. Weiss felt hollow. The icy façade she wore had almost been torn away in a flood of despair, and she felt as though the cracks that had formed had allowed this man to search her entire being. She felt violated.

Barely suppressing a jump, she found Blake had put her hand on her shoulder in reassurance. Normally she did not particularly appreciate being touched, but this was her teammate, her sister. Right now, it was incredibly comforting to have someone stand with her. She felt herself rapidly filling with her usual confidence as the cold creep of fear faded away. Looking into those concerned yellow eyes, she nodded to show she was okay. Blake gave a final squeeze and let go, turning back to the man in the cell.

"I can assure you I mean you no harm. You are already being used, already being manipulated. I just want to find out who and why so I can stop them. I need your help to do so or at least your information. So, can I have your cooperation?" the man, Vili he had said his name was, put forth in offering.

"No," Weiss said as strongly as she could manage. He looked like he would back down, bowing his head and folding his harms behind his back. He was about to speak when Ruby interrupted him.

"And what about me? Do I get a say?" she said from her spot on one of the benches. She had been looking down, but silver disks looked up at Vili and then Weiss when she finished.

Knowing what she was going to say, Weiss found herself in conflict. Gripping the bridge of her nose, Weiss considered her options. If this man was to be trusted, then helping him would lead them to trouble. Trouble had almost cost Ruby her life, and Weiss did not want her to unduly risk herself again. _You dolt, can't you see I'm trying to do this for you protection?_ However, it was that same drive to help anyone she felt who needed it that Weiss felt compelled to protect her. More importantly, the unspoken question in Ruby's eyes made her guilty: Am I not your leader? Relenting, Weiss spoke.

"Of course, Ruby, whatever you say."

"Then we'll help him."

"What?!" Yang said, jumping up with an accusatory glare at Weiss. She rapidly swirled around to Ruby, "You can't be serious."

Ruby seemed to recoil slightly at her sister's explosive response. However, she kept her gaze firm and her voice steady. "I am the leader. What I say goes, isn't that what we agreed on?"

"Ruby, you almost died because we got involved with stuff like this. I'm not letting you do it again." Yang turned to the man. "I want you to leave now without looking back, we're not interested."

"Yang! Calm down, now! Ruby is the leader, what she says goes. That is what we agreed upon," Weiss said with a flared aura, having learned that the only way to match her when it came to Ruby was to be bigger and louder.

"And if you do not like it, I have no problem talking to Ozpin," Ruby backed up partner with a hard stare at Yang.

"But Ruby," she said, her fiery aura subsiding. For a moment, Weiss thought she caught tears forming in her lilac eyes. She caught herself, breathing in with closed eyes. "Fine. What you say goes. And you," she said, turning to the man, "if anything happens to my sister because of this, I'll kick your ass to the moon and back – and that will just be the warm-up. Understand?"

He smiled, again amused by their threats. "Perfectly. So, what exactly should we be doing?"

"Nothing," Blake cut in. "I propose you allow us to think about this. For now, we'll agree to give you information at our discretion, and contact you for anything further. Do you have a scroll?"

"Of course," he said producing it. He hesitated by the glyph, looking to Weiss. "Next time, don't waste your energy," he said, shattering it as his hand came into contact. The action caused an effect in Weiss, who winced as her aura rebounded. In the last moments, she had noticed something. Had his aura flared _inside_ her aura? With a flicker of her previous dread, she wondered what Ruby was getting them into. "Here," he said, handing the scroll to Blake.

"This is our contact information," Blake said as she entered them in and copied him into her own. "We'll figure out the details of this arrangement later, for now just wait to hear back from us. Is that fine?"

"Not a problem," he said as he took it back. "It has been a pleasure, and I look forward to meeting with you again." He turned to Weiss. "Lady Schnee," he said with a small bow. As he walked by with a farewell to Ruby and Yang, Weiss felt surprise at the respect. Even among the other nobles, few actually acknowledged the Schnee family in the noble fashion of lord and lady.

The girls drew together as he departed. They stood in a small circle, focusing on Ruby. This was something three out of four had been against, but they had given Ruby the right to overrule them. "What Ruby says goes," that had been the rule they had decided on back then when they'd known for sure that both Yang and Ruby would be returning to Beacon. She rarely exercised it, but it seemed tonight she had.

"Ruby, I hope you know what you're doing," Weiss said.

"I trust him. Or rather, I trust he has good intentions. I don't know who he is, but he wants to do good things, so we'll help him. I don't know about you, but that's what I'm here at Beacon for, to do good deeds and help people in need," her leader responded.

"I know. I just don't want him getting you hurt, I don't care who he is as long as you stay out of trouble," Yang said. Then her tilted as she looked perplexed. "I thought you said he was a faunus, Blake? I didn't see any ears."

Weiss considered the words. Yang was right; she didn't remember seeing any ears on the man's head. Indeed, the only thing she had noticed was the startling black around him, as well as the strange affinity for feathers with his vest and hair. Not to mention the eyes, of course.

"They were flat against his head, hidden in his hair," she replied easily, seeming preoccupied with something.

"Oh. Well, I'm beat after all that. I say it's time to hit the hay!" Yang cried, immediately back to her chipper self. It was truly remarkable how she could get over things so quickly.

"You mean hit the books, in case you forgot about our tests tomorrow," Weiss said crossly. She made sure her tone was back to the only mildly icy one reserved for reprimanding her teammates.

"Awww, but Weiss!" Yang whined.

"No buts! You interrupted my studying earlier with talk about that man, and now we have to make up for it. This is an important test we have to take tomorrow, you need to do well."

"Fine," Yang sighed out.

She and Ruby began to make their way out. Weiss was about to follow when she noticed Blake lagging behind, still looking troubled. Stopping to address her, Weiss asked, "What is it, Blake? Is something still bothering you?"

"It's the rogue, Vili. Ruby may be convinced, but I still don't trust him. Something about him rubs me the wrong way. I'm going to tail him if I can, before he gets too far. Do you mind covering for me if I'm not back by morning?" Blake responded.

Weiss considered. She could sympathize with Blake's feeling since she also felt like there was more to him than he was letting on. They needed to know more about him. That would ease her suspicions. Even so, she didn't like the idea of Blake being alone with Vili. However, Blake was the only one capable of following him without detection. With a sigh, she nodded.

"Be careful, Blake. He shattered my glyph like it was nothing, and he did… something when he stepped right up to me. We don't know how strong he is or what he's capable of."

Blake smirked as she revealed Gambol Shroud on her back. When had she gotten that? "I'm well prepared if I need to be. I have a way with being unseen, though, so I should be fine. See you later," she said, slinking out of the armory. When Weiss finally exited, she found Blake was true to her word. The cat faunus was nowhere to be found.

"Good luck," she found herself saying.

* * *

Blake moved quickly but silently through the hallways of the school. It was getting late, so few people still wandered the halls. She had hoped this would make it easier for her to find the man they had just been speaking with, but he had moved quickly and she did not know in which direction. Taking a risk, she removed her bow to better hear him. He had a distinct rustle in his motion due to the feathered vest. As she slowly worked her way through hallways toward the exterior, she found herself taking higher ground. By the time she had heard him, she was traveling through the rafters and alcoves of the ceiling. Moving toward the sounds in the shadows of the high ceilings, crept up on him unnoticed. He was heading toward a balcony rooftop, similar to the one she knew Juane and Pyrhha used for training. However, this one was more ornate, with a railing and buttresses sweeping over top it. When he stepped out, she wondered where he intended to go since it was a dead end.

"What a nice night," she heard him murmur as he looked down over the campus. They were pretty far up on the central buildings, able to see across much of the campus and even the cliffs to Vale down below. It was really a nice sight, but Blake kept her attention focused on Vili.

He walked forward to the edge, resting with his arms crossed against the stone barrier and a heavy sigh. The traces of lethargy she had noticed earlier were easily apparent now, showing that he was truly exhausted. Running the odds, she decided to take a chance. Creeping down from her hidden position in the hall, she slowly walked toward him. She prepared Gambol Shroud, pulling the black katana from its sheath. With an expertly smooth and quick motion, the blade was pressed against his throat and her other hand pinned him against the balustrade. He shivered in surprise – or at least, that is what she wanted to call it. It had felt like his entire body had rippled beneath her hand with a slight aura flare.

"Ah, Blake. I see the cat genes and your aura are put to good use by you. To what do I owe the pleasure of this encounter?" he said as his dark eyes found her own, which almost seemed to shine in the moonlight. In a moment, he was looking forward again, it happening so quickly it was like he'd never turned. She flinched in surprise, shocked by some element of the occurrence. Gambol Shroud kept its place, but she took a step back while keeping her hand pressed against him. Why had that stunned her? The startling black of his eyes? No, his head turned completely around to look at her. How had he done that without snapping his own neck? She hadn't even heard any bones popping.

"What are you?" she found herself blurting out.

A chuckle, deep and low, came from her captive. "A good question. A traveling huntsman, a rogue huntsman, a prince, a monster… I've been called a lot of things. With so many possibilities, I generally leave it to others to decide what I am," he answered when he was finished.

Blake tucked each piece of information away. Anything concerning him could be vital to discerning who he was. Considering the last two titles, she remembered something he had mentioned while in the armory. "You said you were born and raised on Asylum? The placed called hell on earth?"

"Yes. That is such an appropriate nickname, really. It isn't really as bad as people think, but in the ways it is worse, that title really works for it," he mused.

"If you're a rogue huntsman, you have to have gone through training. How did you do that?"

"It's the city of criminals, Blake," he said in an exhausted tone, his figure sinking as much as Gambol Shroud allowed. "You think anyone survives there without learning to defend themselves? In Asylum, you make people fear you or you end up with nothing, including your life. The exception is getting protection, but nobody does that out the kindness of their heart – not there, maybe not anywhere. You need to be worth something to them. You think I was spared because I was a kid? I get the feeling you should know better than that." His tone had grown reproachful toward the end, his head turning toward her, but not quite looking at her.

Indeed Blake did know better. In her experience, hate and spite didn't see age, only a target. She found that if anything, the younger the age, the bigger the target. He didn't directly speak of anything, but there implications that he had done things in Asylum. She imagined they were things that made being called a monster reasonable. It almost sounded as though he may be of a similar branch as her, trying to atone for his past sins. If so, she could sympathize with his goal. She decided on a follow up question.

"Then why become a huntsman? Why travel the world helping people, as you said you have been doing?"

He sighed, seeming like all his remaining strength had left him. Blake recognized that response. It was something she sometimes found herself doing when thinking about what she had done, what she had been a part of. She did not have the greatest of pasts, but she felt as though this man had gone through far worse despite only seeming a little older than them.

"I very much earned my piece in Asylum. Down there, that means getting your hands dirty. I'm not talking like some corrupt politician or a greedy merchant, I'm talking blood. That's like the currency of that place, people selling themselves, their souls, to get whatever they could. Greed rules Asylum, and what is more precious than lives?" he said, turning enough that she could catch a glimpse of one of this dark eyes peering into her own. "I wanted to be more than that, more than a monster, more than someone who was worshipped out of fear. I was always interested with the world beyond Asylum, so I decided to leave. I wanted to experience the world in full, and try to make any lives I encountered just that little bit better. Whether you realize it or not, you are the next people on that list. You are a part of something even Glynda seems worried about. Your part in this was only just beginning, and I intend to end it with best possible outcome."

Blake considered his words. It seemed she was right about him. Even so, his aura still affected her. She wanted to accept him at face value, but that would not allow her. However, Ruby had seemed convinced of his good intentions. The girl was many things, but she was not a bad judge of character. If Vili had truly had malicious intentions for them, she was sure Ruby would not have liked him. For now, she decided she would trust in her leader's judgment. Nodding her head for him to turn around she prepared to move. As he complied, she activated her semblance. In an instant, she jumped back into the shadows, seeming to leave the man alone on the balcony.

* * *

Vili felt a small gust as she jumped away and the sword disappeared from his neck. She was quite skilled, he'd hand her that. Turning around, he scanned the area with his faunus night vision and aura perception. Seeing no sign of the feline girl, he smirked.

"Those shadow auras are quite something," he muttered, knowing she was likely still watching him.

His scroll beeped within his pocket. Checking the device, he found a message that seemed to be from Sun. How the monkey faunus had gotten his scroll number, he didn't know. Reading the message, he smiled. He had not really been looking forward to wandering the city late at night and exhausted but now it seemed he wouldn't have to. With a final look around for the black cat, he decided he wouldn't be able to find her. Activated the last of his aura reserves, wary of the slight bit of strain he felt, his body vanished in a flurry of feathers that flew away at frightening speeds.

From the shadows high on the buttresses, small yellow eyes watched with wonder and curiosity.

* * *

**This will be a long one, addressing three major things. The first is my situation with writing, the second will be a request, and the third is a question.**

**I mentioned I've previously tried writing before in the first author's note, I believe. That was around four years ago in middle school. I used to write original creations back then. What I really love about writing is creating characters, universes, and epic stories to connect them all together - and I still do that, I just don't write them. I don't like huge unknowns relevant to what I want to do, so that will show as AU elements here because I'm just filling in what I don't know. What I hate about writing is that I'm convinced I suck at it. I feel like I'm not doing the ideas and characters I come up with justice. I'm pretty socially awkward and unobservant so putting the detail and minutiae of life necessary in actually writing my ideas can be a challenge. A practice I often do to get myself in the right mindset for writing is re-reading what I've already got. That's what a lot of these early chapters are going to do, me trying to cover a lot of characters and viewpoints so I have a point of references in the future. That's one reason the dinner scene was so hectic - partly because I feel like dinner with them would be hectic but also to get everyone in for a little bit. I also dislike such scenes because I feel like I'm stretching myself thin to cover everyone. Even though I know it's a common practice to just focus on relevant characters (see the lunch scene in the show where only a few people are really important in the scene), I feel dissatisfied with my work if I do something like that (though I commend it in others. It's a horrible habit I have with anything I do, judging it far more harshly than I do others' work). This leads me to number two.**

**I'm willing to adapt. Anything in my style that makes this uninteresting I'm willing to work on. I can't guarantee that I'll listen to everything all the time or immediately, but I appreciate anything that you think would help me deliver this story to you. Any feedback is welcome, even if it is just grammatical errors or syntax. Even if it's just "this sucks" (I'd like to know why, really, but if that's okay too). Sometimes I may not seem to listen, but I do not mean to offend. Somethings I do want to do things certain ways (as part of telling the story), but that doesn't mean I won't find it useful in the future.**

**Finally, number three. As part of the "I still come up with stories but stopped writing them," I always create what I call a planning document. It is kind of like an encyclopedia on each universe I come up with (none are finished, but I generally get in the major concepts, characters, and sometimes plot points). This is no exception. Each of my posts from r/RWBYOC have been pulled from that, and I have more planned. Now, my question is, does anyone have anything they want concerning releasing them? I'm considering either holding them until they can no longer be major spoilers, or simply censoring them to the point that they are kind of vague (especially in the history and sometimes ability and personality department). I mentioned to some on reddit that I'm leaning toward the former, but part of why this post is so late in the week is because I put way too much energy into that back-end R'n'D for somethings (I mentioned I liked symbolism and references in another A/N). I was working on that for much of the weekend and early part of the week. Now that I've resumed classes again, the two may slow my releases, and I'd hate to leave you with nothing to show for the wait since I'm leaning toward a slower pace in the work.**

**Okay, that's finally everything. Sorry for taking so much of your time, and I hope you've enjoyed it so far. I've almost introduced the four major characters listed up top. I intend to give you your first dose of Adam soon. Until the next next chapter, shinobi201 hopes you have a good day.**


	8. Chapter 7: A Solar Reflection

**So I'm updating with two chapters at a time again. I suppose that's fine since I'm late in updating, though the next one is on the shorter side. Sorry about that, btw. This chapter is more development/exposition. However, next chapter I have some plot for you. It also finally introduces the fourth major character listed above. It only took thirty thousand words and seven chapters to do it, but hey, better late than never right? On that note, anyone else see Miles' tweet? Work on volume two is underway!**

* * *

As a slight creak of strained wood and fabric reached his ears, the tailed faunus eased open an eye. They had finally managed to get onto the campus and make their way to the girls' dorm room. It was now late in the day, and he had expected to find at least one of the girls in the room. However, it had been empty, looking as though it had been abandoned in a rush this morning – at least if Yang's disheveled bed and night clothes strewn across the floor were anything to go by. What he had heard was Penny swinging on Ruby's abomination of a bunk bed.

Sun stared with shock at his red haired companion. She was humming quietly, a faint tune he couldn't quite make out. Her legs slowly pumped back and forth, sending the large bed along the arc in the air. In her hands was one of Ruby's Weapon magazines. Shaking his head at her daring, he focused on the magazine. It was an old issue, released shortly after the Vytal festival last year. It was surreal to see the Hellenic warrior who lived just across the hall on the cover. They had interviewed her after she secured the championship last year, featuring Miló and Akoúo in a large centerfold. As the champion of the Mistral tournaments and proving her worth last year in the Vytal tournament, she was really an inspiration to huntsmen- and huntresses-in-training everywhere. It was a wonder how he had come to be friends with the girl over the last two years.

He involuntarily chuckled at a realization. Here he was being somewhat star-struck by Pyrrha being the main attraction in a magazine when he was surrounded by such amazing women. Her teammate, Nora, was frightening in her nearly endless bounds of energy – both on the battlefield and off. Penny was a cutting edge prototype super soldier, involving more lien to "create" than what most people would see in their lifetime. She was sitting on the bed of a girl who stopped a major terrorist and had the thanks of the Vale government. The bed below that belonged to the heiress of the biggest company in the world. Looking to the more stable bunk formation to his right, his thoughts turned to the BY of Team RWBY. Though they were not recognized in a worldly sense, Yang and Blake were likewise amazing women. Yang was arguably the most powerful huntress in the academy – especially if something happened to her hair first. Blake was no push over either. Though she never made herself stand out much now, he felt like she had once been pretty high up in the White Fang before leaving. He had seen her strength in their battle against Torchwick and the White Fang.

He heard noise coming from outside. Noting the excited voice of Nora, he recognized it as Team JNPR coming back to their dorm room. Wondering if they knew where the girls were, he rose to open the door. He was surprised when the door revealed Jaune and Pyrrha. They held two extra bags each, recognizable to Sun as Team RWBY's. They also looked surprised.

"Sun! What are you doing here?" Pyrrha asked.

"Oh, just dropping in. Penny just got back today and wanted to see everyone," he answered, nodding to Jaune's small wave.

"Salutations. How have you been?" Penny said, having jumped down to come over.

"We've been alright. It's been a little hectic with the tests and projects, but it's nothing we can't handle," Pyrrha said.

"Speak for yourself," Jaune muttered, "I think Professor Goodwitch's paper will kill me."

"Jaune, we have a week left before it's due, and we all made sure to start earlier. You'll be fine."

"That has to be one only reason I'm fine with being kicked out of school – no more classes," Sun cut in.

"The only reason?! It's not fair! You even have an easy job with awesome pay and an apartment," Jaune said.

"Eh, I suppose I have it pretty good. So, I take the girls are coming in later?" he said, motioning toward the bags in their hands.

"Oh, yeah, I guess you could say that," Juan replied, lifting the bags. "They asked us to bring their stuff back."

"Let me take them, I'll put them in the room," Penny said. Jaune and Pyrrha nodded, glad to be rid of the extra burden. As Penny carried each bag to the appropriate girl's dresser, Sun turned back to Pyrrha and Jaune.

"So, what are they doing? Will they be long?" he inquired.

The two shared a look as their faces seemed concerned. A silent conversation seemed to pass between the two. They nodded and turned back to face Sun. Pyrrha looked ready to speak as Jaune scanned the area nervously. What was this about?

"A strange man visited the Academy today. He came to us at dinner and asked about what happened back when we had our run-ins with the Cinder Fall. They all jumped up in front of Ruby and they resisted him. When everyone started staring, Weiss led them off to talk in private," she said.

Sun was reminded of his encounter last night. He had told Vili about their involvement with the incident. Remembering how Vili had responded to the mention of Goodwitch, he had a thought.

"This man, did he have tanned skin, black hair, and a vest of black feathers?" he asked.

"That's right; he did say he talked to you. I had forgotten with all the commotion. Do you know anything about him?" Pyrrha said.

"Not really, just that he said he was a traveling huntsman from Asylum."

Pyrrha looked shocked while Jaune seemed lost. "Asylum?!" she exclaimed. "As in the city of criminals?"

"The city of what?" Jaune asked, looking confused and worried.

"Asylum is a city located somewhere in the south oceans. It is a kingdom separate from the four kingdoms or Menagerie, founded sometime in the last century. Asylum claimed to welcome all the people of Remnant, human and faunus alike. Anyone seeking somewhere to live outside Menagerie or the four kingdoms could live there – if they could find a way in. Its location is unknown, as the southern oceans are riddled with powerful storms that make ship travel incredibly dangerous. Whether it truly began with altruistic intentions is disputed, but it quickly became a haven for exiles of the four kingdoms and Menagerie, making it a wild and lawless place full of miscreants. It was for this reason that it became known as the city of criminals, hell on Remnant," Penny recited to him, coming back to the door.

"A place like that actually exists? How come I've never heard about it?" Jaune said, still seeming perplexed.

"Asylum is considered an affront to the world government. It stands separate and opposite of everything the four kingdoms represent. It isn't necessarily a secret, but it isn't spoken of among common folk because it's considered beyond their concern, kind of like aura and semblance. Some people don't even believe it is real – I always kind of wanted to think a place that bad couldn't exist," Pyrrha explained to him. Turning back to Sun, she continued in worry. "Are you okay? Did he torture you for the information?"

"What?! No! Look, you've got it all wrong, Vili's cool. He didn't do anything illegal – er, well, he broke into my apartment, but…" Sun sputtered out.

"He broke into your apartment?! Where is this man, I want a word with him," Penny cut in. "Nobody messes with my friends."

"No, no, no, he _is_ a friend. I mean, he seems like one to me. He was fine, I'm telling you. He said he recognized me as someone from Rakuen and wanted to know how I ended up living in Vale. I told him about everything up to getting my job at the Sostituire Corporation."

"Isn't that supposed to be a secret?" Jaune put in.

"It is," Pyrrha said, her concern fading into anger. "You just told some man you just met something the government wanted a secret? I know you don't always find it necessary to follow the law, but this was for the girls' protection. This man is from Asylum, they could be in a lot of danger."

Sun considered her words. Sure, he'd only met Vili just last night, but he'd always been an easy person to get along with. Hell, the reason he ended up knowing these two was because he decided to hang out with a girl he'd just ran past earlier in the day. Vili had seemed like a nice enough guy, maybe having had some run-ins with the law like him. So what if he was from the city of criminals? Blake had been part of a group of faunus who wanted to be the only intelligent race on Remnant, and she was one of the nicest people he'd ever met. He just couldn't imagine Vili being that bad of a guy. He voiced his thoughts.

"I'm sorry, Pyrrha, but he seemed nice enough to me. So what if he's from Asylum, it doesn't mean he's a monster. I'm a thief, I'll admit it. Jaune here faked his way into this school." Jaune's eyes widened in shock as he looked around in panic to make sure no one was around. Sun gave him a smile, but continued. "Blake was a member of the White Fang. We all have things that we aren't proud of, but that doesn't mean we aren't decent people otherwise."

"He also talked to Professor Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch, so he can't be that bad, right?" Jaune said.

It seemed like the words worked. Pyrrha looked ashamed, her stern look softening. However, she didn't back down.

"You may be right, but that was still supposed to be a secret. Even if – Vili, was it? - isn't a problem, I'm sure there are people who would come after the girls because of what they did back then. You shouldn't have told him."

He had to give her that. He was known to be too open when he decided to trust someone. It was something he was trying to stop doing, and this was obviously a failure in that regard. That had been information that he'd been told not to go sharing with anyone, and he'd done just that. He'd just felt so comfortable talking with man, and it had just poured out.

"Okay, you're right, I messed up. But I honestly feel like we can trust him. I'm willing to call him a friend," he said.

"So, he didn't hurt you?" Penny asked.

"Nope."

"Splendid, I can't wait to meet him," she said.

"Why?" he asked, worried what she could be thinking.

"So we can become friends. If he's friends with you, I want to be his friend too."

Sun laughed. Of course that was why. Penny was always looking to make more friends after they'd met back then. Since it had proven so easy with Ruby and she had had so few, it seemed she'd adopted the idea that she could make friends with anyone who crossed her path. Unfortunately, her eccentric tendencies would scare most people away – including everyone she currently counted as friends. At first, she often found herself only with Ruby or alone in Vale. Deciding she shouldn't be lonely down in Vale while everyone else was up at the Academy, he'd sought the red head out. It had only been Ruby's and then his own tolerance for her that had made everyone else come around to the strange but polite warrior.

"I don't know how much longer they will be, but they should show up soon, Sun. Come on, Jaune, we need to get some rest. We've still got tests to take," Pyrrha said, turning around.

"Just when I forgot about them," Jaune said with a sigh as he followed her. "Good night."

Sun and Penny returned the farewell as Pyrrha tossed one out. From inside, he heard Nora yell out. It was shortly followed by a reprimand from Ren, but then he also yelled out a farewell. Then Pyrrha shut the door and Sun and Penny were left alone. Penny went back to the bunk, scaling the death trap with a grace Sun could only explain from her being a warrior. He found himself staring at her as she returned to her reading, taking in the freckles on her cheeks, her bright green eyes, and her pink bow sitting atop her fluffy orange hair. Remembering that night against the White Fang and her dominance in the tournament shortly after, it was crazy to think this was the same girl.

"Sun? What are you doing here?"

Glad to hear the familiar voice, he turned. Coming down the hall were Ruby and Yang, the blond waving wildly. She'd been the one to call to him. He returned her wave with a wave of his tail. That elicited a giggle from the sisters.

"I've got a present for you, straight from Mistral," he managed out just in time.

"Ruby! Yang!" Penny called out as she ran to stand by Sun.

"Penny! You're back!" Ruby said, coming to a stop outside the door as the girl hugged her.

"Can we please go inside," Weiss said, having walked up behind the sisters. They hurried to squeeze into the door with Penny. Sun stepped aside with a slight bow as his tail motioned inward. Weiss made no recognition of his courtesy, walking by with an annoyed mutter.

"There goes any chance of me studying for that test."

"Good to see you too, Weiss" Sun said sarcastically.

"Oh it won't be. Come in, shut the door, and get in the chair; I want a word with you," she said as she pointed to a chair. She continued to make her way to her corner of the room without so much as a glance his way, but he knew she had a glare on her face.

He glanced along the hall, seeing no sign of his favorite cat faunus. Wondering where she was, he turned to the room. He knew he was in for it if Weiss was this angry – and rightfully so if he was being honest. He had no intention of being honest with the heiress, though. He enjoyed playing with her when she was angry. He was past thinking she'd ever follow through on anything, seeing she had become all bark and no bite over the years.

Sitting in the chair she'd pointed at, he found himself with his back to a desk facing the opposite wall. The beds were to his left and the door to his right. He leaned back against the desk and rested his arms behind his head as she gathered her materials and entered the bathroom. He closed his eyes as Penny talked with Ruby and Yang about their encounter with Vili. He picked up bits and pieces as he waited, learning about their agreement with him and how Blake was supposedly at the library. He gave a smirk at that – he knew that was a likely place but not right now. She was tailing Vili and you weren't going to convince him otherwise.

As he heard the bathroom door click, he wiped the smirk off his face and opened his eyes. Weiss quickly found her way into his vision, her white hair now hanging down and her uniform traded for the nightgown. She adopted a posed that suggested she was looking at vermin, her arms crossed. As he'd known, she was glaring at him. He hadn't thought someone in sleep wear could look so intimidating.

"What the hell were you thinking?" she began icily.

She was swearing. That was the first sign that she wasn't in a joking mood. However, Sun was still set on calling her bluff. At least, he hoped it was a bluff.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about, princess" he said. Her white aura flared in suppressed anger - suppressed in that she didn't look any angrier. She hated it when he called her princess. It was a guaranteed way to set her off if your name didn't start with Ruby and end with Rose. Interestingly enough, Ruby was the one who taught him that, before she managed to worm her way into the solid block of ice he still suspected lived in the girl's heart cavity. He noted that the conversation by the beds had stopped.

She leaned in towards him. Her aura reflected within her blue eyes, turning them into glowing blue daggers as they narrowed. She was starting to worry him.

"Did we not tell you that you were not to discuss what happened back then with anyone? I had thought we had, but I'm failing to see why that man would know about us if that were true."

She was really starting to worry him. He decided to push anyway. "What man-" he was cut off as he felt the air leave his lungs and the world suddenly shift. The chair, which had been leaning back against the desk on two legs, was now seated on all four legs. A black glyph was underneath them, the chair creaking from the increased weight caused by it. His arms had been ripped from behind his head and slammed into the arms of the chair, causing them to snap. From a bowed state, he looked up to find a surprised Weiss. The pressure vanished almost instantly as the girls cried out. Weiss began to crumple, looking immediately exhausted. He lunged forward, catching her before she hit the ground.

"Sun, are you okay?" Penny yelled out.

"Weiss, what was that?!" Yang shouted angrily.

Ruby was instantly by his side, softly calling the heiress' name. She seemed to have briefly lost consciousness, but now was just groggy and confused. He moved her so she was lying on her back, her head in his lap. Her white aura had faded from her when she fell, and she called it forward suddenly. A glyph formed in the air above them, this time the basic white one.

"Why?" she mumbled. "Why was it a gravity glyph?"

A gravity glyph? It would explain why it had been black, not to mention the pressure he'd felt. He could have sworn she couldn't do that without Myrtenaster, though. Did that mean she hadn't done it on purpose?

"Sun, I said are you alright?" Penny asked again, giving his shoulder a nudge. He turned his attention from Weiss, Ruby help the heiress up.

"Yea, I'm fine," he said, cracking his neck a little. It had been a strong pressure pulling him downward and his neck had taken it at an angle. The rest of him was in a similar condition and he had the rising suspicion that he was going to wake up very sore tomorrow.

"What were you trying to do to Sun? I know you never liked him, but that was too far," Yang said to the unsteady girl.

"I didn't mean…" she said quietly, holding a hand to her head. "I… I don't know what just happened."

"So you didn't do it on purpose," Yang said, not quite sounding convinced.

"Of course not. I may not like him but that doesn't mean I want to kill him," she said. Well, she seemed back to her normal self. _It's not like I caught you or anything,_ he thought.

"I think we'll need to pick this up later, I think Weiss should get some sleep," Ruby said, looking at the girl with concern.

"No, I'm fine. Just let me have a few words with Sun and then we'll call it a night," Weiss said, glancing at the chair as she walked to the door. Stepping into the hallway, she motioned for Sun to follow.

Ruby hesitated, as though she were going to argue, but then acquiesced. She turned to Penny, aiming to give a fair well. Yang looked on for a moment longer, but then joined her sister in talking to Penny. Sun moved to follow Weiss.

"I'm sorry," she said as he came out, "and thanks for catching me."

His face froze in shock. The ice princess was giving an apology to him? And showing him gratitude? _In the same sentence?_ This was a moment for the record books. "Did… did I just see a heart?" Sun said. "I must be dreaming."

"Don't push your luck monkey boy. I may not know what happened in there, but I don't mind trying to do it again – and this time you won't have a chair to catch you." She was sounding angry, but her cheeks were red with embarrassment.

He held his hands up in surrender. "You got me. So, were you just trying to make sure no one would believe me when I tell them you were nice to me or is there actually something specific you wanted to talk about? Or maybe you just want to finish chewing me out?"

"A little bit of everything, actually. First and foremost, I want you to promise that the next time some stranger comes along, you won't tell them any secrets. Or at least _our_ secrets," she said. He nodded. "Second, what do you actually know about this Vili person?"

"Nothing more than you, from what I heard Ruby and Yang telling Penny," Sun said as he thought. She frowned in response, obviously not liking his answer. "Uh, well, it isn't so much something he told me, but I noticed something weird about him when he left."

That caught her attention. "When he left, he went out onto my fire escape. Then he looked like he turned into a bunch of feathers and flew up them out of sight. They looked like the same kind that made up his vest, and they looked like they glowed with aura."

"That's… interesting," she said, seeming skeptical. He couldn't blame her, but after seeing what he'd seen he wasn't much of a skeptic anymore. "Anything else?" she asked.

"Nope. I, uh, I did most of the talking during our little encounter. He seemed like a good guy, though. Hey, Ruby mentioned you got his scroll identification – do you mind giving it to me."

She gave him a look. He thought she was going to say no, but then she produced the scroll from within the top of her nightgown. Where had she been keeping that? There's no way that thing had pockets.

"If you keep staring, I'm really going to try and smash your face into the ground with a glyph," she said with annoyance, giving him a hard stare. His gaze had drifted to her chest as he'd been thinking. Oops.

"Oh, no! There's no way I was ogling you! It's just you pulled out the scroll and I was thinking there's no way that thing has pockets, so then I though you kept it in your bra or something…" She was giving him an extremely judgmental look, a single eyebrow raised as though daring him to keep going. "I'm just going to shut up now."

"I think that's for the best – any further and your stupidity would have buried you in that grave you were digging."

He silently took the proffered scroll and copied Vili's contact information into his own, his head slightly hung in shame. He'd kind of messed up today with the heiress. Thankfully, he had two years of progress to fall back on – not to mention the thanks he just received. Finishing up the task, he handed back the scroll, which promptly returned to wherever she kept it. He kept his gaze locked on her eyes this time, the amused stare he got back telling him she caught on.

"Anything else?" he said, moving the scroll into message mode.

"Well, as long as Ruby's okay, no. I just wanted to ask you about one last thing. Do you know how easy it is to falsely convict a faunus?" A slowly shaken head was received. Where was she going with this? What did she mean as long as Ruby's okay? "Unfortunately, it is very easy. The faunus would never see the light of day again, lost to the bowels of the highest security prison. I'd bet they wouldn't even feed them all the time, let alone allow any visitors. It would be a very sad existence, don't you think? I'd hate for it to happen to anyone I know," she said. Ah, now he got it.

She was being a noble again. It sent a chill down his spine when he got to see her like this. Nobles were all about subtle intimidation, and it showed when Weiss was serious. This was the result of her recent training to take over the family. It was like a wolf smiling at a naïve little fawn. It sounded sweet, but you knew something bad was about to happen. Of course, there was nothing that would ever hold up in court.

"Oh, yea, I think I knew about that. But it'll never happen to any of us, right?" he said with a nervous laugh at her humor. "I mean, that would just be ridiculous." She _was_ kidding right?

She just gave him an innocent smile as she walked back into the room. Weiss didn't smile – at least not at him. Oh dust almighty, she wasn't kidding was she? No, she had to be. She wasn't _that _cold hearted? I mean, she'd just thanked him. Right? He shook his head. There was nothing he could do about it now, besides make sure Ruby didn't get hurt. His face hit his palm. This was Ruby he was talking about; he might as well go plead guilty to treason right now.

He ignored the lightly veiled threat for now. Looking at the message on his scroll, he prepared to send. It was telling Vili that he'd seen him this morning and inviting him to the couch in the apartment if he wanted it. It also told that Sun intended to be out until the morning. He intended to spend the night at the Sostituire building with Penny. Deciding there wasn't anything else to add, he sent the message.

"I'm ready when you are, Sun," Penny said, coming out of the door. She was followed by Yang.

"We'll just be a minute, Penny," Yang said, coming to stand before him. "Are you actually okay?"

"I promise you, I'm fine. Huntsman's honor," he said, adopting a pose with a hand over his heart and the other raised.

"I don't know what she was thinking, she could have hurt you really bad – I've seen what she can do with that gravity glyph when she wants to," Yang said, showing anger again.

"Cut her some slack. You heard her, she didn't know what happened. I didn't even think she could do that without Myrtenaster, and it sounds like she didn't either. I'm guessing she just wanted to shake the chair, knock me onto my feet or something. I was being… well, I was being childish, let's go with that. And it's not like Little Mama Bear didn't have reason to be angry anyway," he said.

"Little Mama Bear?" Yang said with a laugh. "Why Little Mama Bear?"

"Oh, heh… well, she's like the smaller caretaker of the group… and Ruby," he muttered out slowly. He hadn't meant to call her that out loud, especially not to Yang.

"The smaller one?" she repeated slowly. She took on a sly look. "So, am I the Big Mama Bear?" she asked. This is why he shouldn't have said it to Yang, of all people. The girl was smarter than anyone gave her credit for.

"Um, yes? Look, I'm sorry, that was just how I started thinking about you two at some point."

She brightened with her signature smile. "I like it! Why does it have to be bears, though? Couldn't it be something cooler?" she asked.

"I don't know; that's just a thing. Bears are very protective of their cubs. What do want instead?" he responded, confused.

She pouted, her head tilted and arms crossed. "I don't know, I just don't like bears." She seemed lost in thought for a moment before the smile returned. "I got it! How about dragons? They're really protective about their gold treasure, and we both really treasure our team and Ruby. Then I can be the Big Mama Dragon and Weiss can be the Little Mama Dragon!" she burst out.

Sun's eyes widened from shock at her shouting. "Are you crazy?! Quiet down, I don't want her to hear that! She already hates me enough as it is, I don't need to give her another reason," he said in a hushed panic.

"Oh, right. Sorry," she said sheepishly. "I think Ruby was having her get into bed though." She peeked into the room. She came back with rocker hands, boasting a wide smile and a hanging tongue. "She's out cold. We're in the clear." Her face grew serious again. "And she doesn't hate you; she just… doesn't like you?"

"Well, that's a relief," he said sarcastically. "I suppose your right, she did just apologize to me – and even thanked me for catching her."

"No way! She was actually nice to you? Oh, she's never going to hear the end of this," Yang said, rubbing her hands together as her lilac eyes took on a mischievous gleam. Again, something he probably shouldn't have told to Yang, of all people. Oh well, today was just the day he screwed up with Weiss. He'd live. Then he remembered what had just happened. On second thought, maybe he wouldn't.

Officially counting this as one of the worst days he'd had, he checked the clock to note the late hour. "We should get going. Sneaking off campus will be a problem once the security goes up for the curfew," he said, going toward Penny, who was waiting patiently some ways down the hall.

"Oh yeah, how'd you guys get on campus? I thought we were on alert or something?" Yang said, confusion showing on her face.

"It seemed like they kept getting reports of miniature Nevermore feathers across the campus and thought the mother would come looking for it, apparently. At least that's what the teacher who chased us off campus said. We had to wait until the search calmed down so we could sneak in," he elaborated.

"I think I did hear some people talking about that. Glad you managed through, you saved me from the princess' study session. Good luck sneaking out," she said, closing the door into the room.

He nodded, coming to stand by Penny. Motioning for her to follow, he made his way toward the exit of the building. It wouldn't be that hard as long as the curfew wasn't in effect yet. He'd snuck onto the campus enough in the last two years that it was basically an automatic process. He did wonder how the Grimm hunt had turned out. He'd assumed they'd caught it or it had been a false alarm, since it seemed like they had stopped by the time he managed to sneak in. He guessed it didn't really matter, there wasn't a chance it'd be a problem for a whole school of people trained to kill them.

As he neared the campus walls, he gave one final glance back. He decided to let the girls finish the week without distractions, so it would be a few days before he'd make his way back. Hopefully by then he wouldn't have to sneak in. Looking further in time, he wondered what he was getting himself into with his new roommate. He hadn't managed to talk with the girls about the conversation with Vili, but their willingness to work with him suggested they thought he might be right. Thinking about Weiss' anger, he had previously found it surprising that they bothered to tell him secrets at all. Now he wondered if the reason she was angry wasn't that he'd told their secrets, but because now their real secrets would be uncovered.


	9. Chapter 8: Memory of Pain and Darkness

Blake opened her eyes as the first rays of dawn hit her face high on her perch. Last night she had known she should sleep, but talking to Vili had brought up some memories that just wouldn't allow her to do that. So, not knowing how to follow him and being too preoccupied to sleep, she returned Gambol Shroud to the armory and wandered the campus. She'd found herself here by the great glowing lights held in Beacon's highest tower. She wasn't sure why she ended up here so often during her occasional late night strolls, but it always seemed to calm her. Turning to look at the small coffee table and couch on the balcony under the lights, she recognized she was not the only one. When she had first started coming to this place, those things had not been there. Sometimes she found herself sneaking around people, other individuals or groups who had found their way here. Once it had even been Professor Ozpin, and the old man had promptly called her out of her hiding. How he had managed that, she couldn't guess. Once she'd learned to hide away from people, she'd never been found – and certainly not that quickly. She hadn't been feeling too great, and didn't want to deal with other people. However, a short but enlightening chat later and she was feeling fine. It was almost as though being in his presence alone had made her feel better. Granted, the tower seemed to do that anyway, but that night had been particularly satisfying for her. When she had finally returned to the dorm to sleep, it had been to the best night's sleep she thought she'd ever had. Similarly, she found she the calming place had put her to sleep as she thought. She had only intended to close her eyes for a moment, but now the sun was waking her.

As she rose from her slouched position, her lithe body stretched out. She was somewhat stiff from being like that all night, but a few more stretches and she'd worked out most of the damage. Wanting to get back to the dorm room before her teammates woke, she opted for the more direct route down the massive structure. Her hair fluttered in the air as she expertly navigated the fall through a combination of semblance and quick reflexes. Quick fleeting brushes with windows and extending balconies stemmed her speed as she approached the level of the lower rooftops. From there, she made her way across campus to her dorm room, hoping the window would be cracked open as usual.

As she came towards the room, she listened for any noise from inside. The window was open, and the only sound she could place was the light snore of her blonde partner. That was one person she didn't have to worry about, but she couldn't be sure about the other. Climbing onto the sill, she eased the window open with a look towards the hanging bed. Ruby lay sleeping with a notebook and textbook left open on the bed. A small candle was pinned to the wall above her, the smell indicative of its recent extinguishment. Putting two and two together, she was unsurprised to find the empty bed below Ruby as she stepped down into the room. Knowing what would probably come next, she gently grabbed Ruby's books, setting them closed by her bag.

As expected, Weiss soon came from the bathroom, dressed in a clean uniform. She stopped as she noticed her black themed companion, still clad in her uniform from yesterday. She gave Blake a look that said they needed to talk. Agreeing, Blake gave a glance toward the two upper bunks with a finger to her lips. She then led the way out of the room, heading to a nearby lounge. The dorm was quiet as the students remained asleep at this early hour. Weeks like this always had everyone seizing every last second of sleep they could manage, having almost always been up late studying the night before. Going into one of the private room off from the lounge, she turned to face the heiress who had followed her.

"So, did you find out where he went or who he might be working for?" Weiss asked as the door shut behind her.

"No, unfortunately I couldn't follow him. I did get a chance to speak with him though," Blake responded, running the conversation over in her head.

"You talked to him?! How'd that happen? Did he catch you?" Weiss said. It was obvious that if it weren't for the fact the faunus girl was standing before her that she'd be more concerned. Blake shook her head to stop her worrying.

"It took awhile for me to find where he'd gone, but when I did he was heading toward one of the balconies on the central offices. He seemed exhausted with no rush to get anywhere. I decided I should take the chance to get the drop on him, force him to talk," she explained.

"You shouldn't have done that, who knows what he could have done to you," Weiss said, concern evident. It was always nice to see that she actually cared. As she remembered some of the interesting things Vili had done last night, she couldn't really argue with her. That said, she noted something about her admonisher.

"You're right, it was dangerous. You're being a hypocrite, though. After all, it wasn't much different from what you did – and you saw what good your glyphs did against him," Blake fired back with a smile.

That got her. A flash of annoyance and then concern flashed across her face. "Okay, so the two of us may not have handled this in the best way. What did you find out?"

"Well, not much beyond what he told us. He seemed to have been born and raised in Asylum, very much adapting to the place as needed. He said that he'd been called many things over the years – 'A traveling huntsman, a rogue huntsman, a prince, a monster.' That he had done things he wasn't proud of, and that now he wants to make amends," Blake said, her voice softening as memories began to well up again. She saw that Weiss immediately grasped the parallel between the two. She was happy that the girl was patient as she wrestled them down.

"So does that mean you trust him?" Weiss said after a moment had passed.

Blake thought about it. When she spoke to him, she had still been skeptical. However, she'd spent a lot of the time last night looking back at her life, reflecting on who she had been and what she had done. Better than most, she could understand regretting having done things that seemed like the only way to live at the time. Doing things that you knew were horrible but feeling like there was no other way or that it was fine because you had someone's approval. But even though she could sympathize, even though she trusted Ruby's judgment, something about him still set her off. Something about that startling instant when his head had turned to hers, those black eyes seeming almost soulless because of their empty pull, or his almost abyssal black aura that reminded her so much of the darkness. She slowly shook her head.

"I don't know. I feel like he was being sincere about how he feels, and I trust Ruby's judgment that he means well. But I still feel like there's something he's hiding, something that makes me want to have as little to do with him as possible. You saw his aura last night, how dark it was. He shattered your glyph like it was nothing – even though he seemed tired. And then, when I snuck up on him… he did something. His head turned completely around to look at me, but his neck didn't make a sound. It was as though his head disconnected. Then there was one last thing he did after I finished talking to him and moved back into hiding. He got a message on his scroll, and then suddenly turned into a bunch of feathers that flew off toward Vale like black streaks of light. I don't know how to explain those things, Weiss," Blake rambled out.

"You have to be kidding me," Weiss retorted after that last part. "Turned into feathers? That's ridiculous!"

Blake looked down. She hadn't quite believed it herself. It was such an odd ability. However, she knew what she saw. It wasn't too unfeasible – her own semblance could be considered similarly ridiculous. She essentially shed her mass for a moment of high speed movement, leaving the old body to fade into aura while constructing a new one. If she thought about it that way, it wasn't like feathers were too unreasonable. She was limited by an instant of having no mass, but he seemed to not have that time limit. He had traveled instantly, his body falling apart before her very eyes. Though she had intended to follow him further, she' been left dumbfounded as how she could even begin to track something like that.

"Sun said the same thing…" Weiss mumbled, a hand running through her bangs. "But if he can turn into feathers at will… how do you fight that? I couldn't imprison him, and you said the feathers traveled like light."

"Wait, you talked to Sun?" Blake said, becoming confused at Weiss' words.

"He and Penny visited last night. He said the man had turned into a bunch of feathers and flown away. I didn't believe him, but if you said he did the same thing then he wasn't mistaken. Vili may actually be made of feathers," she explained.

"But what do you mean? I touched him – he shied away from Gambol Shroud."

"Of course he would, Blake. Why would he let you know you didn't really have the upper hand? He also pretended to be imprisoned by my glyphs, but we both saw that wasn't the case. If you're right about the feathers being like light, he probably didn't even need to break it. I imagine he didn't want us to know his body wasn't normal. How do we even know he has to reform the same way? What if he can change his appearance or voice? What if that wasn't even him, but some copy or shell, and the real Vili Schwarze, if that's even his name, was somewhere else?" Weiss said, sitting in a nearby chair. Her breathing was becoming rapid. She was starting to have one of her attacks. "Nature have mercy, I hope Ruby's right. I don't know how we're supposed to fight him if he turns out to be an enemy."

"Weiss, it'll be alright," Blake said, hugging the white haired girl from behind. "We'll face him together if we have to. We've always come out on top right? Ruby, Yang, and I will always be right here with you."

It was always startling to see her like this. She was so arrogant sometimes that it seemed impossible she'd have something so crippling. Yet Blake had once happened upon the girl locked in their dorm with the lights off, hyperventilating and crying uncontrollably. It seemed that she was stalked by terror at all times. As she'd explained it to her, it was like a lumbering beast; always just out of sight but loud enough that you knew it was there. You'd try to forget about it, sometimes losing yourself in day to day things. But then when you least expect it, you'd know it was right there, creeping up on you like a predator. Before you could do anything about it, it would pounce and pin you down. It would never give the finishing blow, just seizing you in its jaws, dominating you with its strength. Then, suddenly, it was gone as quickly as it came. It left you empty, knowing you could never escape – you were its play thing and it would never let you go. Blake had felt dread before. Images from that night flashed through her mind, accompanied by echoes of screams she hoped never to hear again. She couldn't imagine having something like that happen to you at any moment, knowing that it was only a matter of time.

The girl gave a shuddering breath in her arms, and she felt the cool touch of Weiss' hands clutching her close. "I'm sorry. I'm supposed be better than this," Blake heard her whisper. Blake just held her as time ticked by. Another heavy breath later and she steadied. When she spoke again, her voice was back to its usual chilled confidence. "I'm fine. And again, you didn't see or hear anything. I don't want those two knowing about me… being like this."

Blake gave a smile. With a final squeeze, she stepped away. "I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't see or hear anything to tell," she said with amusement clear in her voice. It was pretty funny to hear her go from shaking with fear to threatening with confidence. The heiress gave a frown as she turned to face her. Blake suppressed a laugh, forcing a serious expression on her face again. "I won't tell them. Back to the business at hand, what are we going to do?"

"I guess what we said. We'll give him some information and decide on anything else later. In the meantime, we've still got classes. I think we should put off dealing with him until after those are finished."

"Makes sense to me," Blake responded. Her ears twitched under her bow as she heard a door open somewhere. Checking her scroll, she found the time to be a little before eight. "I need to get back and shower. I'll wake Ruby and Yang so we can get ready. Can you grab us a table at breakfast and we'll meet you down there?"

"Of course I can. Just make sure Yang gets ready on time or she'll end up eating in class again. Oh, and bring by bag."

"Got it," Blake said, already stepping out of the room.

As she walked back to the room, she regretted that she had missed Sun and Penny. It had been awhile since they'd seen the two of them, though it couldn't be helped with the extra work load and Penny's trip back home. However, tomorrow was the last day before the weekend. They should be able to see them then while enjoying the beginnings of the Vytal festival. Once the weekend was through, the following week would have the main attraction – the Vytal Tournament. This would be the first year she'd be competing, having opted out to avoid the attention of the White Fang the last two years. Adam, during her brief encounter with him in pursuing Cinder, had told her they wanted her back – dead or alive. However, now she thought the White Fang should have moved on enough that she could risk it. Thinking about it, this would be the first time the whole group would be competing. Penny hadn't been able to compete last year because an operation had been scheduled for her in Mistral at the time. Ruby had likewise not participated last year because she was still recovering – and honestly the rest of Team RWBY was still concerned about her competing this year. Jaune had not competed because of a lack of confidence – it was only this year they had managed to convince him to participate. Weiss, Yang, Nora, Ren, Sun, and Pyrrha were the only ones to have been in both that had occurred so far. Penny had won the first year, and Pyrrha the second. She wondered who would take the title of champion this year.

* * *

It was a bright night, the nearly full moon hanging over the horizon. Stars filled the sky to the northeast, in sharp contrast with the dark color of the sky. To the southwest, the horizon brightened from the lights of Vale. The stars over the city were only the brightest, the lesser ones drowned out by its radiance. Out here, the red leaves of Forever Fall gave the heavy mist a subdued red hue. The dark lanky forms of the trees created an army of dark creatures, frozen in the red light. They stood at attention on the level ground and clung to the tops of the tall mounds that dotted the region. Their leaves covered the ground like the blood of a battle field, creating a noticeable cushion underfoot that allowed feet to sink.

Adam looked out over the region from atop one of the mounds. Turning his attention downward, he remembered a day years ago. Far below him, the railway line ran through the region like a black vein. He still did not know how to feel about that day, about what happened. He found himself happy about what it caused, but sad because of the loss necessary for those gains. He remembered the look on her face as the cars separated. How she had looked so regretful. She hadn't wanted to leave him; he knew that was true on some level. However, he also remembered the resolve. That had been it for her, she couldn't take anymore. His hand clenched over Blush. She couldn't take what he had become.

He remembered his youth. How he had wandered the alleys searching for food. How he had come across this girl, hungry and alone. How, even having nothing herself, she shared her finds with him. He wasn't use to kindness. His father had always told him nothing in this world was free. He had said if you wanted something, you took it without hesitation and held on to it for dear life. But then this girl gave what she had to him for no other reason than because he was suffering like her. He remembered what they endured as poor faunus in a big city. Yet she never failed to share with any who wanted a piece. It was a wonder to him that kindness like that could exist.

"Adam." he heard from behind him. It was a voice he recognized. This was what he had been waiting here for.

"Did he come through?" he responded, not yet turning to look.

"Well, sort of. He verified our intel, and agreed to help us." A different speaker, but one he nonetheless expected.

"So what's the problem," he said, turning to face the new speaker. It was a small mouse faunus, clad in a slightly altered form of the basic uniform. Large round glasses reflected the red light of the forest. A dark figure stood behind him, hidden in the shadows of a nearby tree. This was the source of the first voice.

"He can only get one person in. Apparently someone else bought us out of the other seat."

"What? We had a deal with him. Who could get him to turn his back on us? They better be big if he's betraying us," Adam said, a restrained anger appearing in his voice. He could see the reflection of his sickly red aura flaring on the man's glasses.

"W… We don't know, sir. He said he didn't mean any disrespect, but this person made the better offer. He told me how much they paid… we could never hope to match that," the mouse faunus replied, clearly shaken by his anger.

He thought about what this would mean for the plan. It would be difficult to sneak in their weapons without this cover. At worst, only one of them would get in.

"Adam, you should take it. I'm sure I can manage getting in without you. I still have friends in the city after all," the figure in the back said.

Adam shook his head. "No, this is probably for the best. I was being selfish in wanting to go myself. You go. I'll find a way in and I'll be ready to come back you up if necessary."

"Are you sure? I know you two have history," the figure said, taking a step forward. A red gleam appeared over the eyes.

"Yes, I'm sure," Adam said. His ears twitched. He could hear the train coming. They were out of time. "Get on the train alone. I'll find a way to contact you. Try to get in contact with Junior, I'm sure he can help us. We can use the money for the second seat to pay him."

"Alright. Do you have a copy of the file for me?" the figure said, holding up a rectangular shape that Adam recognized as a scroll. He pulled out his own, preparing to send the file.

"I'm sending it. Now, hurry up, the train's coming up," he said, looking down the hillside.

"Got it," the figure said, the voice taking a muffled electronic quality as something was moved over the mouth. The red gleam lowered to cover the eyes. "Be careful, and I'll be waiting to hear from you." Then the dark form was sprinting past Adam, going airborne over the lip of the mound's flat top. Adam turned to watch the figure fall toward the tracks. Just as it looked like it would hit the tracks, the front of the train came underneath it. It landed with a sideways roll toward rear of train. Popping up, it gave a wave. Adam raised Wilt and Blush in acknowledgement as he shook his head at the free fall he had just seen committed. He turned his attention to his scroll, the file still up on the screen.

"Is she really that important?" the mouse faunus asked, looking at the screen.

"In more ways than one…" Adam said. He had taken her to his father, the two raised together from that moment forward. The two had been with the White Fang all that time, always fighting for faunus rights. When the leadership had changed, he knew it didn't quite sit well with her. He was all for it, but she always seemed reluctant and sad to do what they were told. The bright eyed girl who had once dreamed of a world where human and faunus would live together in peace had died sometime during those years. It was only the shadow of that girl that had haunted the warrior of the White Fang and turned her to becoming a huntress. When he saw what she had gone through because of her time the White Fang, he had blamed himself for getting her involved. Now, however, he saw that this was a destined path and he had just been an instrument.

"The world is not a kind place, and it will beat every ounce of kindness from you until you learn that." That was what his father had told them once. He wasn't sure if that was true for her or not. She still seemed to have some kindness when he'd encountered her briefly almost two year ago. He had warned her then, but it seemed it went unheeded. The age of darkness was upon them. This was far from over, and it seemed the world was not done with her yet.

He recited the words on his screen, "'The fourth element of the Tetragram has been found participating in the Vytal Tournament.' Why didn't you listen to me? Why did it have to be you, Blake?"

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**So, we finally got a peek at our favorite member of the White Fang. Also, we get a touch of plot and back story. It's really kind of a tease, I know, but I have to keep you coming back for more somehow. I'm planning on making a bit of a jump, if you didn't guess - just a few days. From here on out, the pacing should begin to pick up. Sort of. Small jumps like this are going to become common, is what I'm saying. I have this set to end quite some time from now, and I'd never finish if I wrote at the pace of two to three days every ten chapters. As always, I appreciate any feedback and hope you enjoy your week. Until the next chapter, shinobi201 out. Unless you see me on reddit.**


	10. Chapter 9: Things to Come

**Okay, so this is finally done - sorry about the late release. It's a bit rushed, so if you see any mistakes, let me know. I'm going to count this for last week, so I'll try to get ten out by... Wednesday? Yeah, that might be doable, let's go with that. So, we get some more teases this week, sorry (not really). However, action is coming, I promise. Please review, and I'll see you next time. Shinobi201 out**

* * *

Vale had undergone an impressive transformation. Some portions of the city certainly looked different with all their decoration and stalls, but that was only part of it. The city was alive. The Vytal  
Festival was a celebration of life's continued existence on Remnant, a coming together of the four great kingdoms of the world. Though now it was more localized as other cities began smaller festivals, this was still the greatest. The bulk of the tourism came from the neighboring kingdom of Mistral, as ships could easily cross the sea between the two. The docks held a great ocean liner from Mistral, carrying a number of people and products. However, there were also people from Atlas and Rakuen, coming in largely through the maiden voyage of the two Aurora-class airships. Monuments to Schnee engineering, the great airships were so colossal they were incapable of landing at the busy shipyard of Vale. Massive reservoirs of blue dust held them aloft, and for the week they would hang over the city, awaiting the return of their many passengers. Each held an exhibit themed for their resident cities of Atlas and Rakuen, bearing a matching sigil of the Schnee Dust Company and Shizine Order respectively. Small fleets of tiltjets flew through the air, connecting them with the city below. The docks of the industrial district gave way to bannered streets where people flooded in like sardines. The noise of people celebrating echoed throughout the city, inescapable even during the night. This was biggest party of the year, and it made sure you knew it.

It was quite a thrilling thing to be here in Vale at this time. Vili was glad he was here to enjoy it. At the moment, he was laying on the roof of the highest tower of Beacon, staring down at all the festivities across the city. It was the morning of the first official day of the week long holiday, the Academy having the last sessions early yesterday before ending for the weekend. He'd woken up early, leaving Sun for an early morning flight around the city. It was really the only time he could manage to do so – if the air traffic over the city normally made flying difficult, the festival made it impossible. Around the docks was the worst, as that was where they were ferrying people between Vale and the two airships that had arrived yesterday morning. Even as the day just began, aerial tours, transports, and other recreational flights clogged the skies above the oldest city on Remnant.

Checking the position of the sun while considering how long he'd been gone, he decided he would need to leave soon. The flight back would be far too much of a nuisance if he stayed much longer, and he'd likely end up in some form of legal trouble. He knew it couldn't yet be noon, but it would be soon approaching. Looking more directly down, the campus was already aflutter with activity, the first signs appearing when he'd taken to this spot to rest. Students, teachers, and tourists all wandered throughout the grounds. Though the Academy wasn't as dressed up as some regions of the city, it had been cleaned up to be presentable. Those with the money or the pull to gain access to one of the tours now walked the halls among the students who now sought to journey down to the city. It was as though they were trading places, each wanting to see what the other undoubtedly took for granted.

He wondered if those girls were somewhere down there, but he suspected they'd long since left. Sun had been out with them last night, but he supposedly had plans to meet them for a day out on the town today as well. Though he'd opted out of their company yesterday while he followed up an interesting message he'd received, he'd been invited once again. Seeing no reason to decline, and being somewhat curious about the group of huntsmen and huntresses Sun normally spent his time with, Vili had accepted. He imagined by now they were on their way to rendezvous at Sun's apartment before going on with the planned agenda.

Vili stood up with a stretch, his back cracking. His aura slowly became active as Alas De'Luz began to extend over his hands and feet. As he walked off the spire, his semblance activated. White flames burst out of his metal covered limbs, suspending him. With an exertion of aura and a repositioning of his limbs, he flew over the Academy toward the city proper. In this form, actually flying the distance instead of flinging his aura toward his destination, it would take some time to get to Sun's apartment. Thankfully, the residential district began in the shadows of the rise Beacon sat upon. He'd literally be flying over the entire kingdom if it were somewhere like the docks of the industrial district or the residents of the government district.

His mind turned to the upcoming day. Sun had introduced him to the girl Penny, which had been pleasant. The alterations done to her made her quite intelligent, and the two had quickly begun to bore Sun with talk of historical trivia. Beyond that, he'd had an opportunity to look into her. As he'd suspected, her aura showed signs of being artificially altered. It was almost made from a template – which implied the same could be said of her soul. Whatever was going on at the Sostituire Corporation, he imagined it had a lot of potential to change how the world thought of warriors. His mind wandered to how they came to acquire such technology, a looming form briefly appearing in his mind.

He had told some of his past to the two, mostly in terms of his teachings. He didn't know much of how he had come to be on Asylum. Apparently, no one knew who his mother had been. For the longest time, Yasha had been the only one he ever encountered on a regular basis. The "palace" of the city was largely empty, with customized AK-130s tending the grounds under Yasha's rule. Occasionally a few of the more affluent of Asylum would visit the grand building at Asylum's center, those who survived to his teenage years becoming people he would work closely with under Yasha. None could remark on ever seeing a woman associated with the man. One day, it had suddenly turned out that Yasha had this young child in his care who he claimed was his protégé. Even when he'd questioned Ozpin several years ago he had gotten the same response. No one knew who he was or where he'd come from. He'd done digging, but found nothing concrete. He had his theories, but he did not divulge them to Sun and Penny.

He had instead moved on to his training under Yasha. He'd heavily sugar coated it, but they'd gotten the idea that was no cake walk for him in Asylum, even as the most privileged within its walls. Though he knew the old man cared for him in his own way, he was incredibly harsh. …_Nobody does that out of the kindness of their heart. You need to be worth something to them._ Vili was bright as a child, quickly learning language. As soon as he could understand Yasha, the man had told him to prove he had the ability to endure and adapt. He'd found himself dumped in the streets of that horrid city, alone like so many other people. He found communities of homeless, people of all ages who were lonely and yet not alone. He knew what it was like to use the steamy exhausts of a city so you wouldn't freeze while sleeping. He knew what it was like to fight rats for garbage – and he knew you were lucky if you managed to kill one that wasn't too sick to eat in the process. He knew to look for canned goods, but to be wary of swollen cans. He knew to gather only certain trash for fires, to take discarded fabrics to layer into clothing, and the value of both cooperation and backstabbing (sometimes literally) to survive. He wasn't sure how long he'd lived like before he dreamt of shadows creeping forth and to take him back to the palace. He'd awoken back in his room, the old man pleased with his survival. From then on, it had gotten both better and worse. Sure, he was well taken care of, but the lessons, training, and tests Yasha put him through had been horrible. However, it had all paid off. When he first began to see tests against live foes, they fell easily. In Asylum, he was undefeated. He'd become just as much a monster as his towering mentor, a nightmare to the pitiful denizens of that city.

He retracted Alas De'Luz as his semblance had his body fall into feathers toward the apartment building below him. He materialized as the feathers came into the open window of Sun's apartment. He took in the sight of Team JNPR staring in shock at him, Sun and Penny looking on with amused expressions. These two were sitting on the couch, the four bar stools from the kitchen in an arc before them, bearing the gaping team. The sat like that for a moment, staring at each other.

"He actually turns into feathers!" Nora suddenly yelled out, breaking the silence. This cause Sun to burst into laughter while Penny took on a full on smile.

"We were just telling them what you told us about you. I only just finished," Sun explained. "They seem willing to give you a chance, but they were still skeptical about the feathers thing."

"Ah, that's good to hear. It's a pleasure to meet you…?" Vili said, drifting off as he realized he didn't know who was who. There was a brief pause.

"Pyrrha Nikos," the red haired girl said. He'd actually recognized her as the star of the Mistral kingdom. There had been many things in Mistral advertising her victory of the Vytal Tournament last year as well as her past victories of the Mistral Regional Tournament, telling people to come see her defend her title. Sun seemed to surround himself with the best and brightest of this up and coming generation.

"Jaune Arc," the blond stammered out, as though suddenly realizing what Vili wanted. He had not heard of Jaune before, but the name Arc rung a bell. Wasn't that the name of the peasant family of career huntsmen who'd become known as war heroes?

"Lie Ren," the guy with a pink streak in his hair stated. Though the Lie name did not ring a bell, the formal dress and naming convention suggested an upper class family from Rakuen. Coming to Beacon seemed an odd choice if he was the eldest or an only child.

"And I'm Nora! Is your hair still feathers? What's it like when you're feathers? Oh, can you see? What about sound? Does the vest have anything to do with it?" the pink themed warrior responded. She quickly closed the distance, going from inspecting his hair and then his vest. In terms of first encounters, it was like a hyperactive Penny, who had also gotten quite close and layered him with questions. He averted his eyes to the rest of her team, somewhat taken aback by her. After a moment of hesitation, he turned back, finding a look that clearly said he was on his own on their faces.

"Uh, no, light and airy, yes, yes, and… kind of?" he responded, running through her quick string of words in his mind. She backed away, still looking excited.

"That's so cool! I wish I could do it!" she said, taking a dreamy quality in her voice.

"Um, you can, if you want," he said somewhat absent-mindedly, still wondering what her deal was.

"WHAT?!" was the collective response. He flinched at the noise.

"What do you mean she can if she wants?" Pyrrha asked, seeming genuinely intrigued.

"I can turn others into feathers as well. I would be in control of the feathers, but she could walk around the apartment for a bit," he responded, happy that there seemed to be little hostility. He had been worried when Sun told him about her response to his home and status as a rogue. Team JNPR seemed much more accommodating of him in that regard. Though, to be fair, it seemed like Team RWBY had responded that way because he knew things he probably shouldn't have. He couldn't really fault them for their caution. He realized there was quiet in the room.

The six others were staring among each other, seemingly thinking the same thing. It looked like they were bursting with curiosity but struggling to voice their question. With a feeling of dread he realized what they wanted.

"Now, wait a minute…" he began, but was cut off by six outbursts.

"Why didn't you tell me that?!" Sun exclaimed.

"Can you transform me after Nora?" Penny asked.

"Is it possible for you to turn all of us?" Pyrrha put forward.

"You have to turn all of us!" Jaune amended her proposal.

"Would turning us be a problem?" Ren asked, mirroring Pyrrha's restrained excitement.

"Ren, we're going to be turned into feathers!" Nora cried out, hugging the boy.

"Hey now, I haven't agreed to anything yet!" Vili shot out, estimating their combined mass.

"Aw, but it would be so cool!" Nora whined. "Think about it! We'd all be made of feathers!" _Not quite,_ he thought.

"Oh, could you turn all of us at once? Or would that be too exhausting?" Penny jumped in.

_Could I? Yes. Would it be too exhausting? Probably._ "I could turn them all at once…" he murmured out during his thinking. He realized his mistake instantly. _Mouth, what the hell are you doing?!_

"Marvelous!" was Penny's response. "How does it work? What do we have to do?"

Vili sighed. He decided to go through with it, it wouldn't be too bad. It's not like he'd have to worry about being fully energized today, they'd just be enjoying a day at the festival.

"Okay, it's not too much of a problem, but you absolutely must do as I say, got it?" he said, staring each of them in the eyes. Nods of assent and a few cries of affirmation met them.

"Okay, so first, flare your auras," he said, flaring his own. He noted the curiosity of the startling darkness in his aura. It was something he'd taken note of during his encounter with the girls. That hint of fear lay beneath it. It seemed even for those ignorant of who he was, it still had that effect. "Second," he continued as they obeyed, "you are going to feel something." He grabbed the nearest person's hand, being Sun.

"Hey, what are-" Sun began, but stopped as Vili gave him a sharp glance.

"This," Vili began, directing his aura into Sun's, "is me." Moving on around the circle, he allowed each of them to feel his aura in their own, to feel him with their soul. "Do not reject it, do not – and I repeat, _do not_ – push it out while in the form of feathers."

"W-why? Is it dangerous?" Jaune stuttered, seemingly becoming worried.

"Will we fall apart, stuck as a pile of feathers forever?" Nora put in.

"Not in my apartment, you're not," Sun responded, seemingly annoyed by the prospect of cleaning up a human sized pile of feathers. Vili gave a slight chuckle at the thought. Sun had nothing to worry about – or at least, Vili was pretty sure he didn't.

"It's not dangerous, per se. Painful maybe, but not dangerous. You should just reform, but it'll mess with your aura and you might end up down for the count, so to speak," Vili explained. "Do you want to back out?" Some hesitation was shown by Jaune, but the others immediately shook their heads. "Good. Ready? Here we go."

Vili called upon his semblance, feeling the familiar pull on his aura. It quickly drew upon more than usual, catalyzing a change in their auras and body. He could feel it as their bodies became one with their auras and then turned into his characteristic black feathers. Though their aura was their own, he was now in control of it – borrowing it really. Their recognition of the change was interesting to see.

"I'm so light, I feel like I could jump through the cei-" Nora began, as she jumped. She did just as she said, her words cut off as she went beyond the ceiling.

"She just through the ceiling," Sun said in a monotone, staring at the spot she'd gone through. His staring was accompanied by the others as well.

Vili sighed, something he heard from Ren as well. He knew he should have kept them solid until he explained it. He turned Nora completely intangible, seeing her quickly fall back through the floor. He made her solid again, catching her as she fell.

"Oh, I'm back. That was awesome!" she cried as he put her down. She immediately noted the return of her weight. "Aw, Ren, I'm fat again," she whined. A groan escaped his lips as his face hit his hand. Vili took it in curiously. This one was something, huh? He smirked. Well, at least she'd keep things interesting.

"Er, kind of? I'm keeping you high density for the moment while I explain it to you. So, as you've seen, you are very light and largely intangible when low density. Now, I'm not going to bore you with the details of that, since I'll be managing it. The point is I'll only be keeping the soles of your feet high density so you can walk, but the rest of you will be intangible. You can feel things, but they won't stop you – you have to stop yourself when you feel it. On second thought, I'll make your palms high density too, so you can actually touch stuff. Now, in my experience, you don't get any problems from having something in you while low density, but I would keep it to a minimum in case something happens so we don't have any nasty accidents. Got it?" he said, feeling his energy steadily drop from the strain. He gave it a few minutes before it would probably start to hurt. "Also, I can't keep this up long, so enjoy it while it lasts." With that, he did as he said.

They scattered throughout the apartment, enjoying the airy comfort of their new forms. He took the emptied seats of the couch, lying down as he felt them move throughout the room. He would need to conserve his energy for this. As he allowed his body to rest as exhaustion began to manifest, he took note of them through his aura perception. It was quite easy at the moment since it was his own aura he was reading.

"This is incredible. I wish I had a semblance this awesome," Sun said, the expert parkourist making his way around the apartment with a startlingly fluid speed. His feet didn't seem to be touching the ground, judging by Vili's senses of location. Nora was his main competition, herself hopping about with a terrifying speed – it was almost as though she were teleporting about the space of the room.

Still close by, Penny, Ren, Pyrrha, and Jaune were less mobile. Jaune and Pyrrha were slowly guiding each in a floating waltz, only one actually touching the ground at a time. Unknown to Vili, neither were aware of the appearance of this act. Ren was taking it in stride, seeming to be testing how it affected his aura usage and if he was really intangible. Penny was the most entertaining. He felt her do a flip, landing on her hands with her head through the floor. A scream was heard from downstairs, and he could just make out the sound of Penny asking what was wrong and if she could help. He didn't know what happened after that, but she quickly popped back up. She seemed to be taking advantage of her lessened weight before suddenly stopping. He felt her walk over to him, and saw her staring down at him when he opened his eyes. He raised an eyebrow in inquiry.

"You aren't made of feather right now. Are you hurt?" she said.

"I'm quite alright, Penny. Thanks for asking," he replied. She seemed unconvinced.

"Then why don't you join us?" she followed up._ There is a problem with that idea_, he thought.

"It's actually quite taxing to maintain this many people in this form, so I think I'll pass for now. After all, I do it all the time," he said instead. She considered his words for the briefest of moments before responding.

"Well, I hope we aren't being an inconvenience to you. Should we stop?"

"I can still manage for a little I think, but after that it would be for the best if I had you return to normal."

"Nah, it's cool. I had something I wanted to talk with you all about before the girls show up," Sun said, sailing over the couch and catching himself on a stool. Vili felt the subtle inquiry, and released Sun's aura. The faunus was solid once more.

Vili sat up as the others gathered around. He found himself next to Penny on the couch with Pyrrha on the stool to his right. Jaune sat beside, Sun on this other side. The last two stools were taken by Ren next to Sun and Nora by Penny. They all became solid again, Vili finding relief in the slow of his auras fading. It was actually low enough that the subtle drain was notable. It seemed it had grown a little, but he could be sure. _Haven't you had enough?_ he thought. A sickening chuckle was heard. **Never. What's yours is mine...**

No one reacted to the exchange, despite how loud it seemed. Sun seemed to take on a grim face, looking at Penny. She nodded in confirmation. He raised his eyebrow again, looking between them. Sun answered by beginning the conversation.

"So, when I first met Vili a few days ago, we talked about some things. Now," he hurried to amend, "I probably shouldn't have said some things that I said. That's in the past now. What I want to say now is about something that I began to consider because of our conversation." Ah, now it was clear. He'd brought this up again yesterday, but he hadn't known he'd planned to bring in Penny and Team JNPR. "Vili pointed out some things about what we've been told about our friends' involvement with Cinder Fall. Specifically, it's about that last night."

"What kind of things?" Pyrrha said. She turned to him, voice accusatory, "What did you tell him they did?"

Sun went to speak, but Vili held up a hand, keeping his gaze locked on Pyrrha. "I didn't tell him anything. I just pointed out how certain aspects of what he told me did not make sense. He is the one who came to the conclusion that they may be hiding something. I'm sure someone is, but I was leaning more toward the government – which I can guarantee is hiding something."

"What makes you think the government is corrupt?" Pyrrha responded almost automatically. He met her green eyes with a dead stare. For extra measure, he did respond.

"Care to tell me what news reports the name Cinder Fall?" he said, knowing there was none. Rogues were against the idea of the government being the sole power, the sole salvation. How could one of their agents leave service? Even the banished and blacked out of history Yasha continued to serve when called upon. She wasn't even old enough that she was completely written out – if you looked hard enough, you could still find some mentions of her.

"Alright, but that's protocol. What else seemed odd?"

"That wasn't what was odd. I didn't expect for them to report who was behind it. The issues are other things that even you know that don't match up. For example, there are things about Cinder's supposed fight with Ruby. I've seen the girl, and while her aura is impressive, I can't imagine her holding her own or surviving against Cinder and those other two rogues. Even if they did fight, where did all the blood come from? You're going to say Ruby, but most of it was outside, and that wouldn't make sense. If she bled that much outside, she would have been dead out there, not fighting for her life inside. Two of the girl wouldn't account for that much blood. From my understanding, she didn't kill anyone that night – that's what Sun has told me. If so, then her story doesn't check out. Even if it was Ruby's blood, burns don't bleed, not from Cinder. Her semblance is heat – I've seen her melt steel on contact. That fire ball trick of hers? It's her heating the air into a miniature sun in the palm of her hand. The blood would boil away instantly. The point is that in hiding the existence of rogue huntsmen and huntresses, they prove they are willing to deceive their citizens," Vili threw out a few of his old points in a torrent.

He watched as the Mistral native considered his words. He could see some of his arguments were working. Looking around, he noted the others thinking. Nora frowned, brow furred in thought. Ren seemed calmly contemplative. Jaune seemed shocked by the premise, staring at the ground with a flickering gaze that revealed the turning of his mental gears. Looking to Penny, he saw only a sad expression of regret. He'd assumed that Sun had told her by the glances, but maybe not.

"What do you think, Penny?"

"It isn't news to me. I already noticed what you spoke to Sun about," she said, surprising Vili. "I already suspected deception on the girls' part, but I decided to trust their judgment. If it was really important, I figured they'd tell me – tell us – eventually. However, you suspect they are being manipulated beyond that, and that we are not the only ones being lied to. If you are right, then someone may be trying to hurt them, and I won't let anyone hurt my friends." Her gaze had been set into his own. "I'll help you, since they've agreed to help you."

"So, you don't think they're double crossing us or something?" Sun asked. The ginger shook her head.

"My first impression was that someone else was involved with the battle, and the most obvious assumption is her teammates, but I still don't think that would be enough," Vili put forward.

"So you think there was someone else besides Ruby?" Jaune inquired, his curiosity piqued.

"You said yesterday one of your concerns was how Ruby ended up there anyway. You thought it was odd how Torchwick told her how to get there or something like that?" Sun said again.

"Wasn't it a trap so they could kill Ruby?" Nora put forward. Ren shook his head by her, making her frown.

"I know that's what they said, at first that seems like the truth. But based on all their encounters with her prior, they would have no reason to expect her to come alone. Did Torchwick even tell her to go alone?" Ren asked. Vili couldn't be sure, so he turned to Sun and Penny.

"No, not really. The note was just the address and a vague location for it in the city. Ruby told me what he said once… it wasn't something that sounded like Torchwick," Penny answered.

"Why not? What did he say?" Jaune said, sitting almost literally at the edge of his seat.

"Apparently, he said, 'Maybe you might be able to save her,'" Penny answered, clearly confused by the statement. Vili found himself sharing the response – that certainly didn't sound like the "big little man of Vale" at all.

"What could that mean? Did they have a hostage or something?" Sun asked.

"What do you mean? It was clearly an attempt to draw Ruby in – he knew she would always try to save someone, even without knowing who," Pyrrha said.

"Did Ruby know what he meant?" Ren asked, focusing on Penny.

"Well, I asked, but she said no. Though, she did hesitate…" Penny replied, troubled by the possibility of incriminating her first friend.

"Maybe he was undercover or something and that was why he was let off with lesser charges?" Sun offered. Vili shook his head.

"You've only been in Vale for a little while, so I suppose you may be unaware, but Roman Torchwick has been a major player in the criminal underworld for years now, with a massive influence in terms of Vale. The evidence against that is that they have never followed through on him. Roman would have enough dirt to take any number of people down if he were with the law," Vili explained. Though he himself was not a native of Vale, he knew various aspects of the criminal world. In that world, everything came back to Asylum. It was impossible not to know major people like the "little big man of Vale," Asylum's "King of Shadows" or the White Fang's "Demon of the North" when you lived there. Even more legitimate people had echoes within that world, recalling that Yasha was known to have had meetings with the CEOs of both the Sostituire Corporation and the Schnee Dust Company.

"So, do you think Ruby has some other connection with Roman?" Nora cut in. "Maybe it was a big scheme to get her into Beacon?"

"I don't think so, no," Vili responded, amused by the thought. His look at the girl a few days ago told him she was sincerely kind and good. "However, she may have found herself fooled or otherwise tied up in something too big for them. I told you, I'm not accusing them of doing anything – not intentionally anyway. Penny's probably right; they likely have their reasons for not telling you. I'd imagine it's to keep you out of it. They seemed reluctant to help me because of the prospect of Ruby getting heart again, and I'm sure that extends to you as well."

A knock was at the door. Checking the time, it was getting toward noon. With a flick of his ears, he picked out the voices of Yang and Weiss arguing, though he couldn't make out the words. The circle looked at each other, seemingly caught by surprised.

"We'll have to pick this up later, but for now, this conversation never happened," Vili said, an emphatic support coming from Sun.

"Yes, this never happened. I'm on thin ice with Weiss anyway," Sun said, hopping up to get the door. They all agreed, Nora making a zipping and tossing motion. Penny seemed unpleased about the idea however. Vili stood to offer his seat as Sun allowed them in. He noted that only Yang, Weiss, and Blake entered.

"I'm telling you, she'll be fine. My baby sis is going to kick all kinds of ass in the tournament," Yang was heard saying to Weiss.

"Joke all you want, her wound is no joking matter. She still falls to bouts of sickness and pain, and we're lucky we've made it this long without her having one. I don't understand how you can be so calm about this when you were just angry about her going off on her own for a little while," Weiss replied with the familiar coldness, though it was noticeably less hostile than when he'd heard her previously.

"While I have faith in Ruby's skill, Weiss is right. You should still show some concern about her injuries. Maybe having her sit out another year wouldn't be such a bad idea," Blake put in.

"That's ridiculous, she's been looking forward to this for months," Yang replied. She turned to everyone else, smiling brightly. "Hey everyone, how's it going?" Then she saw him. "Oh, right, you're living with Sun. Are you going to hang out with us today?"

"Yep. As long as it's not a problem, of course," Vili responded with a smile of his own.

"Of course not, the more the merrier. I can give you the full Vale experience. I know all coolest places, today will be coolest day of your life," Yang responded instantly.

"What happened to 'I'll kick your ass to the moon and back'?" Weiss said with a critical gaze and a raise brow meeting the lilac eyes.

"And don't forget: 'that will just be the warm-up,'" Blake added, an almost imperceptible smirk on her face.

Yang seemed unaffected by their accusations. "That was business. This is the Vytal Festival. There's awesome stuff for sale, fun games and shows, a city full of foreign hotties," she winked at him with a subtle growl inserted into her rant, "an incredible nightlife with the best clubs in the world! And next week we have the crowning moment of kickassery, where we'll finally all get a chance to kick some ass, take some names, and – most importantly - finally settle who the best fighter here is. Of course, we all know who that will be," she said, striking a pose. Vili barely suppresses the urge to burst out laughing at the blonde's speech. This would certainly be an interesting time with both Nora and Yang.

"You lost," Weiss said with another stare. "Twice."

"That was bull, and you know it, Weiss. Stupid technicalities – I make it all the way to the finals each time and they get angry because I started a little fire. Did you see what Penny did? She blasted a hole in the ceiling! But did she get disqualified? No!" Yang fired back.

"Did you call that fire little? You nearly burnt down the whole district!" Sun shouted out.

"Twice!" Weiss amended his claim. "They've even built the new stadium out of stone in the bay specifically because of you!"

"I know! And they wouldn't even name it after me!" she replied, seemingly serious. Vili wasn't sure how to react – laugh at her ridiculousness or praise her apparent combat ability. He wanted to doubt the claim, but was genuinely surprised when he looked into her aura. He'd been focused on Weiss and Ruby, and later Blake, but hadn't really looked into her aura. It revealed an incredibly compassionate and powerful woman with an undeniable love of combat. She was a huntress through and through, someone who cared for her fellow creature and loved to fight for them – if not fight in general. He was very curious about how she would do in this tournament, especially in light of yesterday's events.

"I know! That would have been so cool! I can't wait to see us all finally compete this year – we even managed to get Jaune to enter!" Nora said, jumping the unprepared teen. The two fell over as the stool tipped. Jaune's wild flailing nearly brought Pyrrha down with him as he tried to hold himself up. Sun immediately freaked out about his wooden floor. Pyrrha tried to help the two up, aided by Ren, while Penny asked if they were alright.

"I'm think alright," Jaune said, pulling the stool back upright.

"I'm great! Sorry, Jaune," Nora replied, hopping back up and going back to her seat.

"I forgot about that. Everyone here will be in the tournament," Sun said, seeming satisfied with the lack of damage to his floor.

"Well, not quite," Blake said, glancing toward Vili.

"Actually…" he said, pulling out his scroll. "I got this message yesterday morning. I was busy looking into it while you all were out on the town. I don't know who it's from, but apparently they reserved me a seat in the Vytal Tournament."

"How? You've only been here a few days; did they know you were coming before hand? All the seats have been filled for awhile now," Blake replied, apparently puzzled.

"Scalper. Apparently someone bought him out of a deal for it – more money than he'd ever gotten before. The message told me they bought my seat and that it was awaiting pickup with the guy. The only signature was this symbol – anyone know what it means?" Vili said, zooming in and showing the scroll to everyone. It was the face of a barn owl, as far as he could tell. He didn't have any idea what that symbol meant, however. He watched the others react. There was recognition in the members of Team RWBY.

"Well?" he asked.

They looked at each other, a look of apprehension apparent on their faces. It seemed they were deciding whether or not to tell him. He feared they'd stay silent, but then Yang went to speak.

"That's the symbol of the Albas, the most powerful family in Vale," she said slowly.

"The most powerful family in the world, actually. They're the only ones with more power than my family," Weiss corrected her.

"Alba was the name of the man we met after what happened with Ruby," Blake added, Vili noting a slight hesitation when it came to "what happened with Ruby." She had been going to say something else, but what?

"Ah, them. I've heard of them before, but I'd never seen their symbol," Vili spoke out loud. His mind was whirring with thoughts, but he daren't voice them – not to them. "Who was the man you met with? What was he like?"

"There's only one of them left in the family. His name is Tytus Alba, member the Vale Grand Council," Weiss put forward again. "This city is essentially run by him."

The girls seemed to take a sudden interest in the scroll, trying to read parts of the message. This was not something he wanted them to see. He pulled it back, staring at the screen while pointedly ignoring the stares of the others in the room. He needed a distraction.

"Hmm. Well, that's interesting. We should get going though, it's already past noon. Where's Ruby?" Sun said, saving Vili by distracting the girls.

"She went off somewhere on her own for a bit, she said she'd meet us at the first stop," Yang said, obviously sour about the decision.

"Alright then, let's go. Last one out, hit the lights," Sun said, walking out the door. The others followed. Vili hung back as he considered the news from this morning.

Vili didn't like the sound of this turn of events for a few reasons. The first reason was that someone like that almost certainly knew about Yasha. The second was that someone like that likely knew about his relation to Yasha. The third how he was referenced in the message: "Vili Schwarze, the Prince of Darkness." However, he didn't want to talk about that with anyone here – at the very least the members of Team RWBY. It would have to wait until later. Even so, his mind still drew forth questions. What kind of man was Tytus Alba, and what did he want with Vili?

* * *

He stared at the paper on his desk, not really reading it. It held reports of some kind, but he wasn't really interested in that right now. He always hated the management side of things. It just wasn't his style. He preferred to be out in the field, working doing things himself. However, with great power came great responsibility, and that usually meant spending some time doing the boring paperwork. Sunlight shown through the window, split into pillars of light by the metal security bars. He stared at the dust motes floating through the air. It wasn't like he could go out in the field right now anyway. The door opened and he turned to face it, seeing the usual serviceman.

"You have a visitor," they said, their uniform immaculate as ever.

He rose up, following them out. It had been some time since anyone had come to visit him way out here. He wondered who it could be, what it could be about. _Probably not anything good,_ he thought sourly. It almost never was. He noted the lack of surveillance and low security detail. Was it an off the books meeting? It couldn't be her again, could it? He brightened a little – maybe this wouldn't be as bad as he thought. As the serviceman opened the door to small room with its small chair and glass wall, he saw his visitor.

"Oh hey, Red! It's been awhile since you last visited me here in the big house. How's life out in the free world?"


End file.
